Speak
by aturtlefromindia
Summary: "You wish you had done what I've done. To taste his skin, feel him surrounding you, and hear him cry out your name made you excited. It was an obvious reaction...Sasuke." " I'll kill youuu!" Sasuke lunged at Itachi with his drawn sword. An action he would soon regret later.
1. Chapter 1

The 3 day chase continued. Naruto hopped from branch to branch in a steady pace to avoid the man from gaining anymore distance. However, the abdominal pain from the wicked kick he received earlier sharply pestered him like a fly. His metal chest plate was bent from the blow. His weary legs moved of their own accord now as they seemed to mechanically bend and take off.

A whizzing noise sounded by Narutos ear, startling him, causing the nineteen year old to misplace his foot and fall with a sharp snap to the forest floor. The dull, metallic thud of a shuriken hit a tree nearby, heightening Narutos senses and panic. Narutos panic motivated him to run but he stumbled wildly over his own two feet. As he lay, Narutos eyes rose to see wooden sandals, coming closer and closer to him. His eyes widened as he slowly scanned the man in front of him. The man's black coat with red clouds remained stiff as if there was no breeze to dare disturb them. The still man had the all too familiar face of a long gone friend but remained stoic and more fear-inducing. Those long strands of inky black hair escaped from the pony tail, that attempted to bind them, hung beside the man's pale skin. Naruto peered through his cracked anbu mask to look at his final stunning feature; Those all knowing eyes that can bore into ones fantasies, thoughts, dreams, desires, and fears... How Naruto wished he were far from this man right now.

"I'll kill you if you come any closer..." Naruto pathetically huffed out as he rose from the ground. His teeth gritted against grains of dirt that entered his mouth from the fall. Acheingly tired, he unknowingly swayed left and right from the unfocused vision received by his eyes.

"Haven't you already tried that before?" The man with the controlled voice said.

Naruto blinked slowly as he remained in a weak defence stance. His thoughts were jumbled and undeterminable. There was no way to create a plan of action anymore.

"I'm suprised you survived the jinchuriki extraction. It seems you've grown...Naruto." His tone remained unalterable as he spoke, but eyes seeming to fire bullets upon Naruto.

"Then why are you hunting me? I'm not a priority to you anymore. You've completed your mission. So whatever fucked up game you're playing, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" With a burst of courage, Naruto lunged tactically at the man with a barrage of punches. The man met his barrage skillfully and in time was able to land a few elbows, kicks and punches to various places on Narutos body. A few were all that was needed to disable Naruto for a while.

The man rolled the numb Naruto onto his back with his foot and bore his eyes into Narutos. The man and Naruto continued this stare off until the man crouched down and placed a slender hand on Narutos jacket zipper. The long fingers gripped the zipper and slowly slid it down. "What are you doing?" Naruto screeched but the man continued to ignore the boy. He carefully removed the jacket and proceeded to remove the shirt underneath. "ITACHI! STOP! What do you want?"  
>Itachi continued until the boy was shirtless, revealing a faded seal mark around his belly button. Itachi would've gone on but a long silver sword appeared at his neck. Naruto followed the length of that sword and saw the missing nin whom he searched to bring back all these years.<p>

"What a surprise to see you defending the boy who you've broken bonds with, Sasuke." Itachi calmly stated as he continued to stared into Narutos eyes.

With that, the two broke into a clash of weapons and fists. Naruto moved with great difficulty, using Sasuke as a distraction for Itachi to escape. Naruto first moved his arms only to find that every movement felt as if he had boulders tied to the bottom of every limb.

It didn't take long before Naruto decided to look up to find Itachi standing beside him. Narutos eyes widened at the sight of Itachi once again kneeling to remove his clothing. Confusion struck Naruto dumb as the question of Sasukes location roamed his mind. The last garment was removed and Naruto couldn't help but feel incredibly embarrassed as Itachi simply glided his gaze over his naked form.

"Let go of me and fight me instead!" Sasukes voice called out from the distance. Naruto had a desire to follow that voice but craning his neck seemed like far too much effort. 'Why is the bastard saying that? He's not the one naked in the hands of a mass murderer.' Naruto was sent back into reality as he felt Itachi lips crashing onto his. Itachi hands straddled the boys hips as Naruto attempted to struggle.

His hands reached out to flip the boy over onto his stomach. The rough dirt dug into Narutos skin like microscopic glass. Itachi extended his arms to grab the coarse blonde hair to yank it back, resulting in the sharp pain visiting Narutos stomach from previous injuries. Naruto grinded his teeth in an effort to avoid squealing from the pain. As his eyes readjusted, he noticed Sasuke bound to a tree with blue streams that let off a soft glow. Whatever jutsu Itachi used caused chakra to bind Sasuke to a tree like an invincible rope. Sasukes futility left Naruto feeling hopeless.

Once again Naruto was snapped back into reality as he felt something at the entrance of his behind. Naruto cringed at the sensation and feared the inevitable. He wailed as Itachi entered him with no mercy. The pain wrecked his whole body causing him to collapse with his behind sticking up in the air. After all that was all Itachi needed... at the moment.

The relentless attack upon Naruto was worsened as Itachi yanked his hair back so his face was turned directly towards Sasuke. As Itachi continued his assult, Naruto heaved as if he ran a marathon, all the while pleading to Sasuke with his eyes to save him. But Sasuke seemed too shocked to even struggle against the chakra.

"SASUKE! P-PLEASE! Make him stop!" Naruto wailed as heated tears betrayed his eyes and rolled down his disappointed cheeks. "SASUKE! Stop!" Naruto, unable to catch his breath was simply yelling for his request. As Itachi began to hit him faster Naruto began to beg. " SASUKEEEEEE!"

As Itachi finished his controlled climax Naruto couldn't feel any more betrayed. His mind gave up along with his body at that moment. It seemed that there was no good Uchiha left in the world. Naruto still, however, tried to regain his breath as his body felt on like it was on fire with a sheen of sweat. He didn't even resist as he felt Itachi drag Naruto towards himself. As he faced Itachi he realized that Itachi was standing so his waistline matched Narutos head.

'Damn.'

Naruto knew what was coming but he wasn't aware that he was turned sideways where Sasuke could see everything perfectly. Naruto was face to face with Itachis member. Itachi forced his jaw open and locked it into place with his hand. He trusted his member into Narutos mouth. Naruto gagged on the feeling but it remained there until Itachi decided to pull out. Relief filled Naruto but it didn't last long when Itachi was back inside him.

Itachi continued this motion as Naruto felt a thick substance beginning to foam in his mouth. Naruto scrunched his eyes to avoid making any noise and he would've succeeded if Itachi hadn't released into his mouth. Naruto panicked as the substance began to clog his airway. The only option was to swallow the foreign substance. Naruto groaned as Itachi pulled out of his mouth completely, leaving a bridge of saliva from Narutos lip to Itachis member.

Itachi released Naruto from his grip and Naruto fell onto his back. Suddenly, a shadow darted towards Itachi and Naruto, with his faded vision, was able to recognize it to be Sasuke. Naruto remained silent as he heard distant yelling coming from Sasuke and retorts from Itachi. As Naruto lay slipping deeper into a unfamiliar darkness, a grip propped him up to his feet. A dark sleeve had a hand holding a kunai to his neck.

"Say it Sasuke. You enjoyed our little show." Itachi commented behind Naruto.

"You sick bastard... Let Naruto go." Sasuke steely replied.

"How I took your friends virginity. How I made him mine. It was fascinating, wasn't it?" Itachi brought the kunai closer to Narutos neck, nicking it.

"Don't touch him or else. I'm giving you one last warning Itachi. Let him GO." Sasuke wasn't able to completely mask the anger in his voice. His fingers twitched to grab his sword. How he wished to decapitate Itachi right now.

"But of course you weren't able to do anything until I was finished. Since you wish it were you in my position. You wish you had done what I've done. To taste his skin, feel him surrounding you, and hear him cry out your name made you excited. It was an obvious reaction...Sasuke."

"I'll kill youuu!" Sasuke lunged at Itachi with his drawn sword. An action he would soon regret later.

The kunai slid smoothly against Naruto's tan skin, cutting open the left side. Before Itachi could reach the mid-point of his neck, Sasuke successfully cut Itachis arm, causing Itachi to pull away. Itachi swiftly fled from the scene leaving Sasuke to a bloody Naruto.

Naruto watched as the darkness closed in on him from the corners of his eyes, soon engulfing him into a depthless pit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
>Murmuring was heard all around Naruto. Vertigo gave him the worst migraine. Slowly he opened his eyes only to be blinded by white lights. The murmurs got louder, or were they closer? He opened his eyes to see the lights getting more dim, or were they getting further away? Nothing could've been processed by Naruto but as the light died down he began to see vague figures turning solid. The sterile white walls of the room indicated a hospital room. Why was he in the hospital? The figures were clear now. A familiar pink haired woman stood directly over him. Instantaneously a smile formed on his face.<p>

"Sakura..."

His mouth moved but no sound came out. Naruto was struck dumb. Maybe his hearing was also adjusting like his eyes did. Naruto reassured himself that that was it. He took a few seconds before repeating his previous actions. Once again, the same result. Something inside of him began to clot up and rise to his chest. "What's going on?" He asked but only his lips performed their original function.

Seeing Naruto in a state of distress, Sakura nudged the pony-tailed doctor next to her. Tsunade moved her aside to appear in Narutos vision. Naruto looked up into her eyes with pure disbelief. Tsunade nodded with reassurance to the question in his eyes. "Itachi Uchiha cut your vocal chords. We tried. We really did. But it was unrepairable. Naruto..." Tsunade began calmly but was cut off by Naruto.

Naruto sat up and flailed his arms wildly as if to block off the sound waves coming from her. In the process he knocked the IV bag to the ground and caused a ruckus. His breathong quickened until he was hyperventilating. Tsunade called for others to restrain him and as they did, that familiar darkness took a hold of Naruto once more.


	2. Chapter 2

3 months later

Unwavering eyes stared ahead at the pale chipped wall in front of him. His hands were gripping the bed at his sides, steadying him. His body was ghostly still as if he were made of porcelain. A body so calm yet it held a mind that raced like wild fire. He jolted off the bed as if startled and headed to the bathroom, reached under the sink, into the creaky cabinet to retrieve an electric razor. He straightened up and became parallel to the shabby mirror that blurred his features from the grime stuck to the surface. He stared. And then he touched. His fingertips found theirs way to the light puffy skin that was thick in the middle and jagged at the sides. The fingers traced the light skin, from the angle of his jaw all the way to the front of his Adams apple. They remained there for a while, hovering at times as if it were blasphemy to touch. The fingers trailed up his face slowing, however, as they crossed paths with his lips. They rushed upwards as the relentless pursuit from the memories continued. The fingers ended up raking his rough textured hair. The memories caught up to the fingers and flashed it's wretched images through his mind. He unconsciously tightened his hand on those strands of hair. These strands were more than twice as long as they normally were. Grooming wasn't a first priority to him. Not until now. But it wouldn't seem fit to call it grooming; it seemed more like recreation. 'Discusting. How fucking discusting...' He seethed causing his hand to tensely rip out a few hairs. 'To think that he touched this hair' His glare seemed to melt the grime off the window but within a moment he was deadly calm once more. His hand fell limply to his hip and the on switch was flipped on. The insistent buzzing of the razor started and he began to graze the parts where the man touched him. Soon he went to all areas of his scalp, watching the tuffs of hair float to the floor like rays of sunshine. When the existence of his old hair was gone, the switch was flipped off. He took a step back to give himself a once over. His hair looked like a buzz cut. Confusion filled him as he failed to recognize who the man in the mirror was. He slowly felt his head to stubby hairs only half a inch long. It felt like newly cut grass, oddly familiar but missing a key element. He squinted at the mirror in the dark to see his reflection. The moon reflected off the suns beams into his bathroom. In fact the moon was just an imitator of the sun. Stealing the suns beauty, reflecting misguided rays to one's face. It lied to about the world as seen right to one's face. The pretentious moon doesn't shine it's light upon imperfections; It twists the truth until the lies become reality. Therefore the world praises the moon to be beautiful and mystical, unaware or denying its true nature, since the moon lies to itself as well. Using the shadow of its miserable existence to shy away it's imperfect face from the world, only showing it's whole face a day out of a month. The moon was appealing to those that denied the eventual decay of their body. This is why he didn't bother to turn on the light as he trudged back to his bedroom. He leaned onto his nightstand with one hand feeling his newly cut hair. Rubbing the stubble, he tried hard to remember what exactly he came into the room to do. He looked around for a hint but got none. Having nothing to do physically led his mind to take a trip to the past three months. The soft padded walls of the room were where he slept mostly. No furniture or objects to grab onto. Remembering the odd shirt he wore with extremely long sleeves that wrapped around his body, he pictured the red that always seemed to cover his walls. Splotches of red after lapses of time. It was a vague memory. It was all he could recall mostly because a piercing beep interrupted his train of thought. He followed the noise to see a glowing rectangle lying on his bed. The glowing ended but he picked it up to inspect the object. Remembering that it was the "phone" that Tsunade gave him to convey his thought through typing,he turned it over in his hand like a playtoy.

The beep indicated that he had a "text". It was relatively odd to him that he had a device that worked like a home phone and a computer. Times had really changed and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. He unlocked the phone with a flick of his finger to see a message from Sakura.

Hey Naruto! Ur coming to the sparring match right? U noe evryone is gonna be there. U shud really come. Its at7 am today. We would all enjoy it if u came. Been a while since we hung out... Sasukes gonna be there. I'm just letting u noe so ur not suprised to see him. Anyway, hope to see u there! Ttyl!

He wondered why Sakura was texting him at night but as he turned to the window, he saw a melody of colors merging with a sunrise. He checked the time on the phone.

6:47 am

He could make it if he rushed. Besides, it's been a while since he spared with people. It's been a while since he even talked to people. He grabbed his jacket off a rack and zipped up until most of the new skin was covered and made his way out the window. Almost forgetting his phone halfway out the window, he turned on his heal to grab it. He would have to communicate in some way. He looked at the screen to see that unfamiliar face again. He didn't know who he was. Naruto might have been the name known to others but he was sure that another person besides him was associated with that name. How could a person like him be related to such a carefree personality? He didn't know. But then again he didn't know why Konoha would accept a person like Sasuke after all he's done. Sasuke has changed. Naruto has changed. So why are people so willing to go with their prenotions? Maybe it's because people are desperate to prevent change.


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto glided from rooftop to rooftop. His sleek anbu jacket allowed him to be aerodynamic as it clung tightly to his skin. The black material had three orange strips going down the length of his arms. The strips represented the level of ranking within the organization; three strips represents the highest level. The color described your position; orange meaning that the experience and credit you have aquired allowed you to achieve

Buntaichō. Narutos shorts swung by his knees as he finally landed in the grassy plain surrounded by a ring of trees. This was the place but where was everyone? He pulled out his phone to see the time; 6:53. He made it too early. He swiveled his head around to look for others while pulling his skin tight collar higher up his neck.

"Naruto!"

He turned to see Sakura advancing towards him faster than the others while waving her arm high in the air. Narutos eyes scanned the others to see Neji, Hinata, Kiba, Lee, Shikamaru, Ino, Sai Kakashi, Guy, and... Sasuke. Naruto pocketed his phone.

Sakura opened her arms to give him a hug but Kiba beat her to it. The tight hug caused him to cringe uncomfortably. Noticing the reaction, Kiba immediately released him and searched his face for his reaction. Naruto conveyed nothing so Kiba quickly gave up.

"Hey..." Kiba said nervously. Naruto nodded back to his ex-boyfriend. It felt like ages ago when they were together but it was only four months ago. What pulled him apart was Narutos obsession with finding Sasuke. He just couldn't get it out of his mind at the time. Thinking about it now made Naruto wonder why he would ruin such a wonderful relationship over a person that cared not for him. Kiba was a dream. Like a dream, Naruto quickly woke up to reality. But Naruto desired to have a taste of that dream again. He brushed off the thought and refocused on that tattooed face. Kiba was waiting for him to say something but how could he? Realizing his mistake, Kiba smiled as if it never happened.

"Love the new hair Naruto. It looks...stylish! "Kiba playfully rubbed his fist against Narutos head bringing a small smile to Narutos face. Kiba stepped to Narutos side and the view of the others were clear. They were curious. They were curious about how he felt, how he was, and most of all, who he was. The face Naruto didn't bother to look at was the Uchiha standing off to the side. He looked all too much like his brother. Although Naruto didn't want to admit it, that was the main reason he didn't look at him. The day continued with the others commenting on how wonderful his hair cut was. All useless comments that Naruto eventually ignored.

"So here's how it's going to work guys. Guy and I have half your names in this sac," Kakashi lifted up a red sac as if to showcase a toy to toddlers," and the other half are going to come up here, one by one, to pick a name out of the bag and that's the person you will be sparing with today. The winners will spare with each other and it will continue like thay until there is only one victor. Is that simple enough?" Nodding and a few murmurs were heard."Good. Kiba you're up first." With that, names were called to pick up their sparring partners name. Naruto reluctantly moved towards the sac as his name was called. He felt around inside to feel a smooth paper and picked it up. He peered at the name to see the last person he wanted to spare with, let alone look at; Sasuke. He grudgingly walked back to a disappointed Kiba. He furrowed his eyebrows at Kibas frustration.

"I wanted to fight Sasuke..." Kiba whispered softly to Naruto. A twinge struck Naruto in his chest. He gently grasped Kibas hand making the tattooed face boy look up in awe. Placing the parchment in his hand, he curled Kibas fingers to enclose it. Kiba stared at Naruto in shock as he read the name. "Are you sure?" Kiba breathed out. Naruto noticed the child-like innocence in his face and smiled. Smiling reassured Kiba and he placed his own paper into Narutos hand, ever so gently.

"Read your partners name aloud so we could get started." Kakashi groaned!, clearly irritated by Guys antics.

The partners were paired up and the sparing began. Naruto went first and ironically, was paired up with his chunin exam opponent, Neji. The match was set and they both squared up in to their fighting stances. The others surrounded them from within the trees that encircled the clearing of grass . They had enough space, enough comfort, and enough time to spare but Naruto wouldn't need much of any. He might've been a bit rusty but that didn't mean that he would lose to Neji. Kakashi counted them down.

3...2...1...Go!

Naruto remained in place while Neji advanced at him with lightening speed. Nejis quick jabs were easily diverted by Narutos lightening speed. The attack-defense continued until Naruto saw an opening for him to attack and so he did. Using chakra to coat his fingers in order to cut through air, Naruto whizzed past Neji and sliced part of his hair. The angered Hyuga left another opening by caring for his hair more than the battle at hand and Naruto took full advantage. He leaned backwards, bent his leg and delivered a spring kick to Nejis chest. Thin, sharp needles were pulled from Narutos sleeves to be placed inbetween his fingers. Naruto easily pinned the startled Hyuga and placed the needles to his neck. Kakashi called the fight off.

Naruto lent Neji a hand who contemplated not taking it, but took it anyways out of good sportsmanship. They walked back together, Neji questioning the fact that it took 10 minutes to defeat him. Naruto parted from the fuming Hyuga and took refuge in the shade of the trees next to Kiba. He felt eyes on him and didn't bother to follow them as he knew that they would belong to the Uchiha. The next match began shortly and Kiba engaged Naruto in small talk.

"So... I was thinking that we should get Ramen after this. We can get your favorite; Miso Ramen with extra char siu." Kibas bright memory put a bitter sweet smile on his face. "We can hang like old times. Just you and me Naruto." Kiba smiled brightly and patiently. Naruto pulled his phone from his pocket and typed the word 'Sure.'

If someone said that Kiba couldn't smile any brighter, they would be stunned. Kiba opened his mouth wide to say something was cut off by another voice.

"Kiba, you're up." Kakashi raised his voice. The two looked up to see an exhausted Kakashi and a eager Sasuke. Naruto quickly typed in his words and flashed the screen at Kiba.

'Good luck.'

Kiba smirked."Thanks but I don't need it." He replied cockyly. Naruto watched as Kiba strutted to the center of the grassy plain to face off with Sasuke. There the horror was about to unfold. Kakashi counted them off like everyone else.

3...2...1...Go!

Kiba made the first move. He made a bad move. Sasuke grabbed the foolish dog that hung near him by the collar and swung him into a far off tree. A whining whimper was heard as the crash of trees sounded. Kiba allowed his emotions to get a hold over him. Kiba swung furiously and formed jutsus on the spot but Sasuke considered it all to be light work. A hard jab to Kibas gut sent him rolling onto the floor and spitting out blood. Warily, Kiba lifted himself off the floor only to be kicked brutally in his ribs. Kiba let out a pained cry as the sharp snap was heard throughout the plains. Sasuke took a step back from the injured boy to turn to Kakashi for assurance of a victory. A negative nod from Kakashi made Sasuke turn his gaze to Kiba who was on his feet, throwing a swing at Sasuke. Sasuke caught through arm and struck with his other hand at three major joints; Wrist, elbow, and shoulder. The tattooed boy crumbled to the ground. When all was thought to be over, that crumpled mass began to rose. An irritated Uchiha struck multiple blows with his leg to the quivering form.

Strike. Strike. Strick. Again. Again. Again.

The same action played over and over leaving the stunned audience to wonder who was to stop it. Gazes shifted to Naruto who watched the merciless beating. He didn't bother to peel his eyes away from the scene to return their gazes. He marveled at Kibas will and determination. His drive to go on and never quit reminded Naruto of a blonde, younder, more naive boy. Naruto couldn't quite put his finger on who it was that Kiba reminded him of.

A silver haired jonin put an end to the brutality taking watched as Sakura rushed into action and attempted to pick Kiba up. Naruto moved to support Kibas other side while still ignoring the red eyed demon that did this to Kiba. Bring him a few meters into the shade of the trees, Kiba was placed softly on his back and given immediate medical attention. Naruto bent down beside him to see how he was. Purple and blue. That's how he was. Naruto lay next to the beaten boy and looked up at the rustling leaves, shifting in the breeze. A hand moved over Narutos and slowly grasped it. When Naruto made no move to remove it, an appreciative smile appeared on a certain tattooed face boy. Both their eyes slowly slid shut and the sounds of nature almost lulled Naruto to sleep. Almost.

A shadow appeared over Naruto and sensing it, he opened his eyes. A pair of dark orbs looked down upon him.

"I need to speak with you." Sasuke said straight to the point. Kibas hand tightened on Narutos. Naruto just stared up at him with blank eyes. "I want you to train me."

"Yeah right! Like Naruto would ever train an asshole like you!" Kiba barked back. When Sasuke began to speak again, a ringing phone cut him off. Naruto sat up and looked at the caller ID.

Danzo.

Naruto swiftly moved further away from the previously bickering boys. When out of earshot Naruto picked up the call. Responding with a 'hello' sunk his heart as he heard no voice. As if the man on the other side of the line realized the same thing, the call ended. A text was sent quickly to Narutos phone. Naruto slowly read the message.

Report back immediately. Code Ritān.

Naruto froze at the order. 'You've got to be kidding me.' Naruto couldn't believe this. This must be a mistake. Certainly Naruto wasn't the one to carry out this code.

"Naruto"

He turned to see Kakashi in the path between him and the two.

"You have a match now with Sasuke. are you ready?"

Naruto quickly typed in his answer.

'I forfeit. I'm leaving now.'

Kakashi nodded at him. He had a way of understanding Naruto that came from being in the anbu himself. Naruto brushed past Sasuke to wave a hand at Kiba.

"So I guess we're not going for ramen?" Kiba weakly smiled.

'Your not in the condition Kiba.' Naruto showed his screen to Kiba. He smiled softly at the tattooed face boy and turned in the direction of Konaha.

Naruto sprinted through the field towards Danzos building. 'Code Ritān huh... I'm sure Danzo has made a mistake. He can't be talking about me. There must be a new member of the anbu that didn't get the message right. ' Naruto thought in denial of the order. It wasn't the way Naruto wanted to spend his time but he went to clear up any misunderstandings.


	4. Chapter 4

The lengthy hallway had dim lanterns illuminating the way. The only way to see your hands was hold them close to your face. Half of Narutos body was barely visible. He sped through the corridors to find the Shio room. He knocked and waited impatiently as he heard no reply. Heat was rushing up Narutos neck so he unzipped his collar. His fingers grazed against the puffy skin on his neck and Naruto suddenly became self-aware. He pulled the zipper back up despite the heat.

It was taking too long to answer the door. Naruto roughly gripped the door handle and swung the door open. He rushed into the pitch black room without a thought until he was standing in what he believed was the middle. Whatever light that entered the room through the hallway was gone as the door behind him shut loudly. There he stood, silently with his own thoughts in a dark room. He waited. A flame lit in the corner of a the room, then one right next to it. The cycle continued like a domino effect in a clockwise manner until there were 14 flames in total. The flames gave everything a orange hue, including the bandaged man sitting behind a desk with two Anbu on each side of him. Naruto glared at him with flames dancing in his darkened blue eyes.

"Your physical abilities may have changed but your brash attitude hasn't changed a bit."

Narutos face scrunched up. He took offense to Danzos insensitive comment. But then again Danzo wasn't one to filter his words.

'What did you call me for?' Naruto mouthed knowing Danzos ability to read lips.

Danzo had an unalterable frown on his face. The dancing shadows of the flames made his face even more grim. "You know why you are here. This is the mission you've been waiting years for."

'That was my wish before but things have changed.'

"Well, you should be careful what you wish for. You've chosen yourself for this mission and you shall go through. Besides, you're the most qualified for this. I've taken this mission to be top priority and you to be well suited to carry this out."

'I don't believe I am qualified for this mission. In fact, I'm the last person to carry out this mission.'

An eerie smile crept onto Danzos face. "From what I've been told, Sasuke has a great interest in you. He even went as far as to ask you to train him. That seems like a qualification."

Naruto grinded his teeth. He knew Sai informed him. He was the only one present at the time. Naruto should've known to pay attention to Sai but with Kiba distracting him... Naruto didn't bother to blame Kiba. It was Narutos fault he let his guard down. 'I'll do it if I'm able to retrieve the information on my own terms' Naruto hissed at the bandaged man.

"This is non negotiable." One of the Anbu guards slide a scroll towards Naruto. "Read it. You know what to do afterwards."

Naruto snatched the scroll from the desk and took measured steps out of the room while his mind was on a rampage. 'FUCK DANZO. FUCK SASUKE. FUCK ITACHI. FUCK THESE BASTARDS. FUCK!'

* * *

><p>Naruto sat in his room with the lights off, reading the scroll legible in the moons stolen light. He read it one last time to ensure that every line was memorized. He got up from the floor to walk to the kitchen to turn the stove on. He slowly lowered the scroll onto the fire. The flames licked the edges of the paper until it's contagious fingers caressed the skin of it. The yellow-orange fingers slide up the scroll leaving a black ashen path behind it that crumbled to the stove flame below. Naruto mesmerized himself with the flickering flame to the point that he burnt himself when the yellow-orange fingers brushed his hand. Naruto collected the remains and flushed them down the toilet. He didn't bother to dress his wound. What Naruto needed to do now was find Sasukes address. If Naruto was correct, Sasuke should be living near his clans part of town. He would search there.<p>

* * *

><p>Naruto leaned against the oak walls. The room was decorated by a minimalist who believed that only a bed and a chair was necessary in the bedroom. Naruto scrutinized the form on the bed. Laying with only loosely fitting sweatpants, the pale 20 year olds chest softly rose and fell to a rhythm unknown to Narutos erratic breaths when asleep. The absence of fat caused the pale boys skin to outline the shape of his muscles. The calloused hands of his were placed by his sides as one has before crossed in a coffin. The curves of his collar bone led to a smooth tender neck that didn't contain the strength of the rest of the body. The neck was weak, soft...and can be easily cut. Narutos arm felt the outline of a kunai in his pocket. How easy would it be to slice the Uchihas neck? Pretty easy if Naruto considered the action. His arm twitched at the image. He would bleed out within a minute if he cut deep enough. It could be swift...painless. Or if he desired, the boy could suffer having the jagged, blunt, manipulated blade carve into his neck. It must depend on one's mood. The Uchiha might shout if Naruto didn't gag him right but what if Naruto wanted to hear him? No one else could interfere since the Uchiha lived isolated. To watch his eyes widen at the image of Narutos face and to struggle at the kunai digging at the thin skinn of his neck. It would be all too easy.<p>

A soft breeze entered through the open window to carry Narutos scent and disturb the darks hairs that silhouetted the Uchihas face. His eyes opened abruptly to fade into that despicable red form. Sasuke immediately whipped a kunai out of a thin air and stood barefoot on the wooden floor. Eyes met each and recognition filled one but annoyance filled another.

"Naruto. Whah..." Sasuke drifted off as Naruto showed him his prewritten text to read.

'Get ready. Training day. Don't eat. Get whatever you feel is necessary and let's go."

Sasuke gave Naruto a long hard look before following what was written. Naruto helped himself to the window and exited. He landed onto the nicely cut grass and sat down, legs crossed. Letting his mind go blank, Naruto drifted off into the world that he was constantly woken up from. 'Today is going to be a bad day.'


	5. Chapter 5

**aturtlefromindia-** Honestly, thanks to that one person for reviewing. You're one of the few people motivating me to write better and actually check my grammar besides those who favorites and follow this story. It helps me when I get feedback. Just so everyone knows, Naruto is a strong character and there's no way in hell, he is going to suicide in this story. However, this story is tragic for a few reasons you will come to know later on. Thank you for reading!

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><p><em>His tan fingers slid down that pale throat. Slowly traveling across the collar-bone to the shoulders. Then they caressed his chest softly sending goosebumps on that pale chest. The fingers wandered lower until they tugged on a pair of blue pants. The pale boys breath hitched as those tan fingers wrapped themselves around a sensitive organ contained in his pants. Those fingers halted so the tan boy could lean forward and press his forehead against the pale boys forehead. Half-lidded blue eyes met onyx eyes that yearned for more. They tested each other by brushing their lips against one another but not one making a move yet. The teasing went on for a while until the pale boy smashed his craving lips against the others. His action was met with an equal reaction as they hungrily stroked the inside of each others mouth with their tongues, searching for something they would not find. The pale boys hand unexpectedly ravaged the other boys body, feeling and memorizing every curve of muscle and outline of bone. The tan boy removed the others pants leaving them both to stand naked. The pale boy panted as he departed from the kiss and stared into the others eyes, shifting to observe each one.<em>

_"Do you love me Naruto?" The pale boy enquired with a nervous gaze._

_"Of course Sasuke. I love you." Narutos replied with his husky voice._

_"Tell me. Do you love me more than Kiba?"_

_Naruto chuckled. "I never loved Kiba. He was just a petty distraction from my real goal; you. All I ever wanted was you." Naruto stroked Sasukes cheek as he said these words._

_Sasuke smirked." I knew you never loved that mutt. Now fuck me Naruto. I want you to fuck me hard. FUCK me since Kibas not worth it."_

_Narutos eyes glinted with lust as the pale boy tempted him. "Let's get started."_

Kibas eyes widened to a dimly lit room, feeling a thin sheen of sweat coating his body. He didn't noticed the tears streaking his face. His heart beat raced like a horse. 'It was a dream... a nightmare.' Kiba thought of what Naruto said and wondered. He let his mind carry on until he heard a loud alarm beeping annoyingly. Kiba sent his hand crashing down on the alarm clock and sat up. 'Naruto could never feel that way about me. We're friends... Sasuke is an asshole so he would never even spend time with him.' Kibas thoughts drifted off to yesterday when Sasuke asked Naruto to train him. 'There's no way that's happening.' Kiba rationalized as he went to the bathroom

Kiba brushed his teeth as he thought of his plans with Hinata. They were going to get Ramen and then eat it in the park afterwards. Kiba smiled as he thought of her. 'Today is going to be a good day.'

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><p>Kiba winced at the injuries he received from yesterday as he waved his hand high for Hinata to see him through the crowd of people. Her eyes widened from recognition and then became slim as the smile from her mouth reached her eyes. She made her way through the crowd and gave Kiba a warm hug.<p>

"HINATA!" Kiba yelled in her ear as they hugged.

"Kiba. Not so loud." Hinata gave him a soft smile with furrowed eyebrows. "Are you feeling better?"

Kiba smirked at her. "You know I am. Nothing can stop me. Not even a few broken ribs." Hinata smiled at his bashful attitude and they entered the ramen shop. Hinata decided to order for both of them. Kiba couldn't help suppress the bubbling feeling of pride as Hinata ordered without stuttering. As Teuchi wrapped up their ramen, Kiba conversed with Ayame.

"So I heard Naruto left his house. Is he.. better?" Ayame nervously questioned.

Kiba forced a smile." He's way better. In fact, I think he's never been better."

Ayame frowned. "But he can't talk anymore so how is that better?!"

"AYAME!" Her father barked at her causing her to flinch. A strange tension filled the ramen shop and Hinata quickly brushed it off.

"Thank you for the ramen sir. We should get going" Hinata picked up the take out bag and led Kiba out by his hand. They didn't speak as they walk. The silence was filled with unspoken thoughts until the grassy park was in front of them.

"We're here." Hinata spoke softly. Kiba nodded and they took their place at the shade beneath a tree. They opened up the neatly wrapped containers of ramen with great care. Inside Kiba something gnawed at him. It was broiling inside him as the image of Narutos scar glued itself to Kibas inner eyelids. 'So much has changed. Does that mean Narutos feelings towards him have changed too?' Kiba couldn't help the pondering but if his memory served him right then Naruto held Sasuke in higher regards than himself. That was the reason Kiba ended their relationship in the first place. Naruto was obsessive. He cared more about finding Sasuke than continuing their own relationship. Kibas mind fled as a memory of a dark night with the blond emerged.

"Kiba. What's on your mind?" Hinata quietly spoke. Kiba looked into those all-knowing pale eyes. She waited patiently as Kiba lowered his gaze to the grass. His fingers gripped and tore blades of grass from the soil as he wondered whether to tell Hinata.

"It's Naruto. It's always been Naruto. Do you feel he's changed? Yesterday, did you notice anything different about the way he acted towards me? I feel like your better at telling people's true feelings than me. What do you think?" Kiba blurted it out.

Hinata took a moment to think. "Naruto... has a pretense at the moment. I'm not sure for whom but it's clear why he has it. His reaction towards you... at first, was understandable. He isn't used to anyone's touch, especially his exes. But later I noticed that he's growing closer to you than anyone else. I expected him to find solace in Sakura, not you. It's odd albeit it's fine if he feels you're the easiest to converse with."

An ease swept through Kiba as he listened to Hinata words. She deserved an award for being so analytical. 'So Naruto wasn't acting wierd towards me. Good.' Kiba brushed away any remain thoughts of Naruto possibly disliking him and he snapped the chopsticks in the middle of separate them. "LETS EAT!"

Hinata saw his gleeful reaction and carried out his command. They slurped and swallowed their ramen, enjoying the sounds of chirping birds, rustling of leaves, and the occasional squirrel. Hinata and Kiba chatted in between bites causing Kiba to almost choke at one point.

A shuffling sounded from the bushels, alarming the two. Two figures appeared from the area of noise. The first figure was a dark-haired boy with a mid-drift. The second was a bubbly pink haired girl. They looked up at Hinata and Kiba, startled.

"Oh! Hinata, Kiba... What are you guys doing here?" Sakura asked.

"Shouldn't we be asking you?" Kiba observed suspiciously.

The bubbly pink haired girl had a slight flush in her face and was coated in sweat. The mid-drift boy seemed a bit out of breath but other than that he looked fine.

"Well we were just training. That's all. Right Sai?" Sakura giggled nervously.

"Why yes Sakura. We were simply training." Sai had his typical placid face on, giving away nothing.

Hinata and Kibas eyes shifted to meet each others for a second but went back to look at the two. Sakura turned her head to Sai and whispered "We should train tomorrow. Same time. I'll tell you the place later."

Sai nodded his head and waved goodbye to the two sitting. He vanished in a second and Sakura dismissed any thought of the shinobi that used to be next to her. She casually walked over to the two and sat down in front of them. Hinata and Kiba looked at the third wheel and ignored the urge to abruptly shoo her away.

"So what's up?" Sakura asked as if nothing happened.

"We were just discussing something that was private." Hinata stated.

"Like what?"

Clearly not getting the hint, Kiba changed the subject.

"How long were you and Sai training?" Kiba said with a smirk.

Sakura face remained motionless but her eyes said all. " Just an hour. You know how Sai is. He likes to takes his time." Sakura sensed the mood and changed the subject as well. " You know I saw Naruto and Sasuke headed out the village this morning."

Kibas interest peaked."Where were they going?"

"I don't know. I caught up with them to ask but Naruto didn't say anything. I mean he didn't write anything... You know what I mean... Sasuke said that he didn't know which is wierd cause I would expect him to at least have an idea of where he is going. I think Naruto was taking him somewhere but I might be wrong."

Kiba stared at the grass again, his mind calculating the situations happening. He winced when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He followed the arm to see Hinata reassuring him with her eyes; 'Everything is going to be ok.' Her eyes said.

Kiba hoped that everything was ok. He turned back to Sakura. "Do you know if they came back?"

Sakura shook her head. Kiba looked up at the descent of the sun. Not so far away was the moon, rising to try to replace the beauty of the sun with half-hearted attempts. Inside, Kibas worst nightmare was playing like broken records; Over and over and over again.


	6. Chapter 6

The heated desert blew particles of sand in Naruto and Sasukes eyes. Sasuke looked around. Two large canyons left a passage in the middle, which was where they were. The sun was high in the sky albeit they left early in the morning. Sasuke recalled Naruto telling him that they weren't training in an area that Sasuke knew of. Here they were, somewhere unknown to Sasuke. It started off as Naruto leading Sasuke away from the village as an act of deception then poofing into an area Naruto wanted to train. Sasuke turned towards Naruto. Naruto flashed his phone at him to show the message he wrote as Sasuke looked around. 'Follow whatever I say. I don't care if it makes no sense to you. I'm in a higher position than you. We train when I decide to. Whatever you are doing when I approach you to train must be stalled until a later time. This training is more important. If you fail to follow my rules one time then this arrangement is finished.'

Sasuke looked up with slim eyes. "First off, you don't need your phone to communicate with me. I can read your lips. Second, I'm not going to train whenever you want to. It must be consensual. Third, what exactly do you mean when I must do what you say even if it makes no sense?"

Narutos frown remained in place. 'Let's go.' Naruto mouthed. He began to create signs and Sasuke recognized them to be the signs that brought them here.

"What are you doing?"Sasukes voice rose. Naruto didn't bother to respond. He continued the signs until Sasuke started to yell.

"What do you think? You think you're not going to train me because I don't want to follow your idiotic rules? Youre going to get killed if you don't. Danzos going to have you killed!"

Naruto halted. He stopped forming signs and looked at Sasuke in his eyes.

"I know Danzo asked you to train me because I personally told him to. I know you wouldn't consent if I asked you without a little push. Now let's get started, shall we?" Sasuke had the foolish pride of his heritage radiating from him. Naruto stepped forward so he was right in front of Sasuke. Theirs noses skimmed each others. Naruto placed a hand on top of Sasukes shoulder. It remained like that for a while as if time had frozen them in place. Time didn't freeze them for long. Narutos hand clamped down on Sasukes shoulder, then suddenly snapped Sasukes collar bone. Sasuke recoiled away in pain but Naruto didn't let him get too far. Naruto made his leg a hook to get behind and strike Sasuke behind his knee to cause the pale boy to fall. Naruto slide Sasukes sword out of its sheath from behind him and pierced the pale boy in his back. Sasukes mouth gaped wide open.

Sasuke turned his head to the side. "Are you trying... to... kill me?"

Naruto smirked. Naruto had made sure to pierce between any organs to not puncture them. He didn't want to have the Uchihas death placed on his head. Naruto slowly pulled out the sword as if to savor the moment. The metal of the blade departed from the flesh of Sasukes body, dripping with blood. Naruto slide two fingers down the flat blade, collecting blood on his fingers in the process. Naruto walked around Sasuke to stand in front of him. He was applying pressure on his wound with his hand and carefully breathing at a steady rate. He looked up at Naruto with a sneer. Naruto crouched down to meet that sneer on eye level.

'Don't act as if you've got any power over me. You don't have any power at all in the current situation. You certainly didn't have any power when you fought Itachi. I lasted 3 days with him. You barely lasted 3 minutes. So if you want me to train you, it will be on my terms. I don't care what Danzo will do. That's irrelevant. You will follow my instructions if you want to become strong.' Naruto placed his hand with the bloody fingers on Sasukes cheek. He smeared Sasukes blood down his cheek then let his hand fall. 'You're blood is the same as any others. Having a Uchihas blood doesn't make you strong. It makes you weak by giving you a false sense of security by making you think you are strong. Get it through your head that you're not just a Uchiha. You're also mortal which makes you susceptible to injuries; Such as these ones.' Naruto stabbed the sword into the ground. He stood up and pulled the Uchiha up with him. 'Training is over. We're going to a nearby town to get you cleaned up.'

Sasuke regained his balance and glared at the blonde walking away. "Why can't we transport back to the village? It's faster that way." When Naruto didn't answer, Sasuke yanked the sword out of the ground, electrified it, and attempted to pierce Naruto in the same way he was pierced. A smirk appeared on Sasukes face when the sword pierced through Naruto as well. That smirk was short-lived when Naruto poofed into a cloud of smoke. Sasukes eye widened when felt a hand behind him clutching the wound in his back and digging into the wound. Sasuke screamed out in pain as the digging hurt the tender flesh. The Uchiha fell to the ground as his entire body was wrecked with pain. He felt Naruto flip him over onto his back and he looked at stern face that mouthed words to him.

'I said training was over. Defy me once more and I won't hold back. Get up. We're walking to the town.'

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><p>The dark night was lit by the pretentious moon, shining it's stolen rays into the wooden room. Naruto was silhouetted by the rays shining on his back, giving the illusion of a dark figure. Behind Naruto was a traditional sliding door. It led to a garden of herbs and trees. In front of Naruto was the sleeping figure, bandaged and resting after the long trip to the town. Sasuke traveled the entire way with no help and with no complaining either. 'At least he can keep his mouth shut.' Naruto thought as sat, leaning against the wall, cross-legged. The illumination in the room made the pale boys features seem vibrant and darker. The trees shadow spayed across the opposite wall and danced it's forbidden dance. Outside, strange noises were carried by the wind to reach the room. The shadows and noises of the night were Narutos friends for a long time. Living alone made him acquainted with night. At times they seemed to be the only company that Naruto kept. It soothed Naruto to see these familiar shadows and hear the familiar voices. Naruto released a sigh. He stood up quietly and slowly slid open the door that led to the garden. He left the door open behind him as he stepped out into the shadowed garden. His bare feet felt the cold wisps of plant limbs. He walked slowly with ease, his feet feeling the cold, unfriendly stone surrounding the plants. The plant limbs reached over the restricting stones like prisoners searching for freedom. Naruto dismissed the scratches the plant limbs gave his feet and continued until he was facing a twisted tree. It bent and turned, clearly withered by time, fire, and bugs. The leaves, however, held on strong, resisting the wicked current of the wind. Naruto placed a hand on the textured bark and ran down the rough surface. Holes and scratches littered the bark and Narutos fingers followed the indents of these marks. The tree was rugged, imperfect. 'Just like me.' Naruto somberly thought.<p>

Naruto felt a presence behind him and turned around halfway. He saw Sasuke over his shoulders, leaning against the doorway. His torso was wrapped in bandages. Naruto took a moment to observe Sasukes body language and noted that he wasn't offensive. He turned back to the tree and ignored the boy behind him.

"Are you going to train me?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto stood still and analysed the tone of his voice. It revealed very little other than that he was serious about training.

"I'm not strong. I saw that when I fought Itachi. I thought Orochimaru prepared me enough but he didn't. I'm still where I was before. That's why I need to train. Tell me now; Will you train me?"

Naruto turned to face the boy. 'My conditions are the same as before.'

"Then I will follow them." Sasuke simply said. They stood staring at each other until Naruto broke the contact by turning back to the tree. Naruto stopped suddenly and turned back as if he remembered something.

'Rest.' Naruto mouthed, then completed his previous actions. Naruto didn't need to turn around to know that Sasuke continued to stand there. Eventually the pale boy went back into the room to rest. Naruto felt the tree again and sighed. The tree was rugged, imperfect. 'Just like me'


	7. Chapter 7

'Am I wrong... for doing this to him? He never meant to let it happen to me but... I'm holding him accountable for something that he wasn't ready for. Yet, he didn't come back for me. No... he came back for him. He wanted to avenge. Again. Foolish boy. He knows nothing. He sees nothing...'

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><p>Naruto was gazing at the idle clouds that drifted away without care, but with direction, before he was interrupted. Naruto leaned into the twisted tree as he watched the doors slide open to reveal the bandaged boy. His dark eyes seemed to evaluate Narutos still form. They roamed freely over the blondes half-naked body. Sasukes gaze landed on the puffy skin on the left side of Narutos neck. It didn't go by unnoticed by Naruto, who quickly slung his jacket over his shoulder, hiding the permanent reminder. Sasuke caught the defensive action and looked away as if he were searching meaning in one of the plants. Naruto took the gesture as a hint of sensitivity and took the time to put on his shirt and jacket while he thought of the rest of the day.<p>

Sasuke finally looked back to a fully dressed Naruto. His skin-tight jacket had been zipped up until his scar was completely covered. It still peeked out at the edge but it remained undetected.

'We are going back to the village.' Naruto mouthed. 'Put your clothes on. Let's go.' Sasuke followed his orders without a question. 'When we get to the village, follow me.' Sasuke looked at the commanding blonde as he pulled the shirt over his head.

'Naruto looks so different...' Sasuke observed the defined muscles covered in that black jacket that snuggled his features delicately. The hair shaved close to his head gave him a mature look rather than the boyish, rugged hair that hung over his eyes. His posture was leaned back as if calm and calculating besides the upright, peppy posture he had before. Naruto grew a few inches taller as well. Three years ago, he was about 5 inches shorter. Now Naruto looked as if we're 5 10". Naruto changed drastically.

Naruto stepped towards Sasuke and performed the jutsu that brought them here. In a puff of cloud they were in front of the main gates of Konaha. Sasuke walked forward, alongside Naruto, entering the large gates. People stared at him. They whispered about him. Traitor. Murderer. Failure. All were whispered but indefinitely heard by both boys. Naruto watched the Uchiha from the corner of his eye. The Uchiha seemed unfazed but Naruto knew better.

As the streets crowded and the whispers got closer, Naruto walked in front of the Uchiha to lead him through the noise. Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets and continued through the crowd. Sasuke followed close behind as the numerous stares grew infinitely. It wasn't long before Sasuke was able to block out the comments, as they all were the same, and finally wonder where Naruto was leading him.

"Where to?" Sasuke asked but Naruto trudged forward. Seeing that he wouldn't get an answer, Sasuke looked around to locate himself. Konaha had changed alot in recent years and it didn't take long for Sasuke to realize that he wouldn't be able to identify his location through landmarks. "Naruto. Where are we?" He was again ignored by the blonde. Sasuke grabbed Narutos shoulder in frustration and turned him around. "Where are we going?" Sasuke growled. Naruto looked at the hand on his shoulder and gripped the wrist of that hand. He threw the arm off with a glimmer of disgust in his eyes.

'Don't dare to do that again.' Naruto threatened as he looked the Uchiha in his black, reflective eyes. When Sasuke finally relented Naruto mouthed words again. 'We are already here.'

Sasuke looked around and saw only one store that could concern them; A clothing store. Naruto answered the question on the Uchihas mind when he looked back at him. 'We are going to buy you some clothes.'

"My attire is completely suited for combat." Sasuke rebuddled.

'That's not the point. You still look like you work for Orochimaru and that won't create a good reputation for you in the eyes of the villagers.'

"I don't care what they think." Sasuke hissed.

Naruto took a moment. 'That's fine. However, I won't train you if you believe walking around half-naked is acceptable.'

Sasuke grimaced. "I'm not half-naked."

'Have you seen yourself in the mirror? That shirt is completely open. You are not a rouge shinobi anymore; You are a member of Konaha so behave like a decent one.'

Sasuke looked down at his white "shirt" and purple pants that Orochimaru gave him. It was comfortable and ventilated. As he looked around he saw that no shinobi showed as much skin as he did. He met eyes with Naruto once more.

"Very well. Let's go...shopping."

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><p>Kiba walked as if death were awaiting him at the next corner. He had walked three blocks in fifteen minutes. It was an exceptionally boring day so Kiba thought he might as well walk exceptionally slow. His mind was filled with thoughts of Naruto. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he still with Sasuke? Why wasn't he answering his texts?<p>

The last question bothered him the most. It was the only way he could reach Naruto and not being able to drives Kiba crazy. Was he ignoring Kiba? It boggled the tattooed boy but he trudged on. He was approaching the empty children's park when he heard rustling from the shrubs. He turned to the direction of the noise to find a pale, darker haired boy and a pink head coming in his direction. Once again they looked suprised to see Kiba. Sakura opened her mouth to provide an excuse but Kiba beat her to it. "Training?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah!" Sakura combed through her hair with her fingers and smiled brightly. "We decided to get an early start today. You know Sai. He always wants to get in a full days work." Sakura turned to Sai and whispered something that Kiba wasn't sure he heard right. A wave of deja vu passed over Kiba as Sai waved a hand goodbye and vanished. Sakura headed in the opposite direction of Kiba but he Kiba felt a sudden urge to call out to her. Why was it that when she was needed, she doesn't come and when she's not, she comes?

"SAKURA!" Kiba called. She turned her head, pink wisps of hair following the motion too. Kiba stood, at a loss for words. It took a second for it to finally hit him as to why he called her. "Do you know if Naruto came back to the village with Sasuke or not?"

Sakura looked equally puzzled. "No." She furrowed her eyebrows sincerely. "Did you text him?"

"Yeah. I actually did. But he didn't reply."

Sakura stood, staring at the ground thoughtfully. She looked up with a face full of determination. "I'll find out for you. Ok?" She smiled at him and Kibas anxiety lessened.

"That would be nice. Thank you Sakura. "

"No problem!" She replied enthusiastically. She pounced from tree to tree in search of the blonde boy. Although the girl seemed reassuring, Kibas gut still produced an ominous feeling.

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><p>Naruto departed from Sasuke , without a word, as they both left the store. He pounced on rooftops to quickly reach his house. 'Everything seems to be going as planned.' Naruto thought to himself. He reached his house and looked both ways. It was good to a bit paranoid, especially if it was Naruto. Naruto unlocked the door and stepped inside.<p>

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><p>Sasuke watched as Naruto left without a word. Then he looked down at the large bags of clothes. Naruto had bought them for Sasuke, considering that Sasuke didn't have much money to begin with. All the clothes he bought would be able to fill up Sasukes closet. Sasuke looked around at the staring eyes and decided he would go home and rest. As he walked, he realized that he had no idea where he was walking. For all he knew, he could be going anywhere and by the way people were looking at him, he wouldn't be able to ask for directions. Almost as if sensing his dilemma, a certain pink haired girl called Sasuke. He turned to see her smiling her girlish smiles.<p>

"Sasuke! What are you doing in my part of town?" She talked cheerfully. Sasuke looked dully at her. 'Maybe she could help me.' Sasuke almost shivered at the thought but it was necessary.

"What part if town is this?" Sasuke asked.

Sakuras mouth turned into a perfect circle. "Sasuke Uchiha! How do you wander around not knowing where you are going?" Sasuke inwardly sighed. Why she couldn't give him a straight answer was a mystery to him but he half listened until his ears picked up on where he was. He dismissed Sakura with a wave and walked towards where he believed his house was.

"SASUKE!" He heard her call out his name again. He stopped but didn't bother to turn around. "Do you know where Naruto is?" He thought about it and wasn't sure where the blonde headed off to.

"I don't know." Before she could say anything else he almost sprinted away. When she was out of range Sasuke let his sense of direction take over. He began to see familiar sights and was able to reach his house with enough time to spare to make dinner. He closed the ebony oak door behind him. He set the his bags and keys on the dining table and walked into the kitchen. Sasuke put rice to boil and walked out. He returned to the table and rummaged inside the bags. He pulled out a dark navy cloth and saw it was the only shirt Naruto picked out for him. It was made of breathable fabric so that way he was ventilated like before. But Sasuke noticed that it was different from the other clothes. It wasn't that it was custom-made to have the Uchiha insignia on the back but the design of it.

The shirt lacked a collar. It had long sleeves that wrapped comfortably, not tightly, around his arms. The shirt loosely hugged his torso. The shirt seemed to be made specially for him. It was the perfect shirt and he bought no other shirt like it. Sasuke wasn't sure how Naruto was able to find one just for him and he wasn't sure how he got all the money he had to buy the shirts customized. Sasuke had requested that he had the Uchiha fan on the back of most shirts if not all. Naruto agreed and got it done on all shirts.

Sasuke thought of the sign that hung in the store, claiming that logo stitching cost 1000 yen each. It confused Sasuke why it cost so much but as he felt the beautifully stitched fan on the back, he knew why it was this shop Naruto chose to go to. Most of the clothes interested Sasuke, who thought he wouldn't be able to find anything he liked. It was odd how Naruto knew his likes.

Sasuke stripped himself of his shirt and pulled the navy blue shirt over his head. He walked over to the bathroom and observed himself in the mirror. He enjoyed the way he looked.

Sasuke caught a whiff of something familiar. He looked around quickly for intruders with his sharingan but there was no one. He still smelled the scent and pulled the neckline of the shirt close to his nose. It was the shirt. The scent was probably Narutos. He was the one to handle the shirt so much. Sasuke deeply inhaled and identified the scent to be of body soap. Sasuke exited the bathroom and threw his old shirt that was lying on the floor in the garbage. He returned to kitchen. The rice must be done by now.


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto pushed the door open to enter a barely visible living room. He scanned the area for any unwanted visitors and stepped into the dark room. Naruto navigated through room and made his way to the refrigerator. The fridge opened to reveal empty space. He checked the cabinets and saw the same thing; empty space. He scavenged for a morsel but found nothing but tea. Naruto shrugged and put water to boil on the stove. The room was illuminated by the stoves flickering blue flames. Shadows played tag with each other. Naruto sat on the lone chair behind the table, in the kitchen. He waited silently, watching the shadows merriment, for the water to boil. The silence sent a piercing ringing through his ears. Naruto closed his eyes and let his memories take him on a trip.

_Breath in. Breath out. Run. Run. Run. Breath in...Out. Run. Run. Breath. Breath. Swearing vulgar words. Sweat running down a face. Whose face? A nervousness. From what? Blood. So much blood. A coldness in the lower abdomen. An emptiness in the lower abdomen. A tattoo on the lower abdomen. A swirling tattoo on the lower abdomen. The bleeding was from the abdomen. _

Narutos eyes shot open as he felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and saw a 26 new text messages from Kiba. 'Fuck...' Naruto quickly opened the text messages and sorted through the increasingly worried texts. He replied with a simple 'I'm home. Everything's fine. Don't worry.' Naruto felt slightly guilty that he dismissed Kibas care with terse responses but he forgot as he saw from the water boiling. Naruto added the tea powder and turned off the stove. He watched as the tea overpowered the purity of the water. The brown color curled in the water, claiming more territory as it expanded. It spread like disease, contagious and without prejudice. They merged and the tea prevailed as the victor of the merciless struggle. Naruto looked around for a cup and found only one that wasn't in the sink to wash. He rinsed off the cup and filled it to the brink with the dark liquid. He over poured it and almost nocked the cup over as he heard the doorbell ring. Naruto stood still and questioned who could come to visit him. He remained with the pot in his hand that still poured tea into an already full cup. The bell rung again. A mass rose inside Narutos stomach. It filled him with a bursting sensation. He put the pot down and walked over to the door. He recognized the chakra but he couldn't pinpoint it. Naruto opened the door.

'What do you want Sai?' Naruto mouthed.

The emotionless boy stood there waiting to be let in but Naruto did nothing of the sort. They both stood silently, sizing each other up. Sai finally spoke.

"How was today? I noticed that you've injured him."

'He recovers quickly. There is no need to stress the matter.'

Sai still remained irritating to Naruto. "Has there been any information you've attained?"

'Do you take me for a fool?' Naruto glared at the pale boy in efforts to get him to leave. Sai remained but he understood.

"Very well." The pale boy said but stood there. Theirs eyes spoke words, Narutos eyes mostly spitting venom at Sai. The pale boy vanished with a clownish smile directed mockingly to Naruto at an attempt to mimic friendship. Naruto repressed the urge to slam the door and slowly pressed the door shut. Naruto turned back the darkness he called home. He walked back the chair to take a seat but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing again. A chill shocked Narutos spine as he recognized the chakra signature. 'It couldn't be.' Fear stunned Naruto as memories tormented him. He turned on his heel and prepared to fight. He grabbed the door handle with the kunai in his sleeve, ready to stab. A cold sweat trickled down his eyebrow. To sweat so quickly by the mere presence of the other man made a bitter smile form on Narutos face.

He swung the door open to find what he found in his cabinets; empty space. A breath escaped through Narutos lips that he didn't even know he was holding in. His heart pounded on his ribs to burst free. The rising intensity that was his pulse a moment ago calmed just as quickly as it rose. Naruto felt a relief sweep over his body. 'It must be my imagination.' Naruto comforted himself. 'It must've been my imagination.' He looked around outside to double check and then closed the door. He returned to his cold tea and figured that he didn't have much of an appetite anyway.

* * *

><p>Naruto reviewed the instructions of his mission in his head over multiple times. He lay on his barely made bed to stare holes into the ceiling. His arms folded behind his head as a makeshift pillow. The moon brushed his half-naked body with its stolen rays. Naruto looked down at himself to find his eyes attracted to the seal mark. It was a faded red. On quiet days like these Naruto always had Kurama to talk to, even if he was spewing hatred words at Naruto inside of him. Kurama was just starting to ease up to Naruto. It felt empty inside Naruto, as if he were missing an organ. It felt eerily empty. He removed his arm from behind his head to trace the spiral pattern, starting from the inner to lead to the outer. He repeated the action a few times before his hand rested on his abdomen. He went back to reviewing the mission details.<p>

Naruto prepared tomorrows plans for Sasuke. It wasn't a day he would want to spend with the Uchiha...so Naruto decided he wouldn't. Kiba would.

* * *

><p>aturtlefromindia- These last two chapters are so you guys can prepare for the next chapter. I don't want to have Naruto always upset and depressing . He needs some R&amp;R too.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Kiba watched his feet shuffle anxiously as he waited with Shino, Shikamaru, Neji and Lee. 'Where's Naruto?' He half listened as Lee rambled about how he trained that morning. Kiba glanced at the watch on his wrist. 9:20AM. Naruto said they would all meet at nine outside of the hot springs. 'What's taking him so long?' Kiba couldn't help but fret as he waited for the first time he and Naruto would hang out in over four months. Although Kiba preferred it to be just the two of them, he knew he wouldn't be getting that time. After all, they are exes.

Kiba tapped his foot rapidly, drawing Nejis attention.

"Could you be anymore nervous?" Neji commented, annoyed.

Kiba looked up with a straight face. "I'm not nervous. Why would you think I'm nervous? I'm excited. Really excited. So don't call me nervous. I'm not nervous."

Neji and Shikamaru exchanged looks. Lee furrowed his eyebrows.

"Is everything ok?" Lee asked sincerely. "You seem to be on edge for some reason."

"I'm fine... Just fine." Kibas words didn't match his expression. Kiba looked around and saw a glimpse of blonde hair making its way towards him. Kibas attitude went from rock bottom to beyond space. The guys beside him wondered if he should be diagnosed with bipolar disorder. But they concluded that it was just Kiba being hormonal.

Kiba rushed toward the blonde but stopped as he saw something else.

"What is he doing here!?" Kiba pointed fiercely at Sasuke as if he were a blemish on ones skin. Naruto pulled out his phone and typed.

'We are going to hang out. All of us. Like old times.'

Kiba squinted at the message and frowned. To him, it wasn't necessary for the Uchiha to be here. They could just as easily have fun without him.

"You never mentioned that you were going to bring him here though." Kiba glared at Naruto.

'Sorry. It was a last minute thing.'

Kiba couldn't help but feel exasperated. "Fine. Let's go inside. We are already late." Kiba dragged his feet behind the rest and filed into the hot springs. He felt a presence next to him and saw Shino.

"Don't mind him. All you've been waiting for is some time to spend with Naruto. Take advantage of this day." Shino said quietly and quickened his steps. His words softened Kibas attitude.

'He knows just the right words to say...' Kiba thought with a shadow of a smile on his face. Kiba had a little pep in his step as he made his way to the locker room. The boys undressed completely and brought a towel in to the bath. They entered the stinging water with an 'ah' as it heated their skin. They sat in silence as they got used to the steaming water.

Kiba stole side glances at Sasuke since he was sitting on the other side of Naruto. It was odd what jealousy did to people.

"This water is making my body ache guys." Kiba stood up, revealing his groin to the boys. He stretched, flaunting his member tactifully, to the blonde beside him. "You guys should stretch too. It would make the water feel even better!"

Wierd looks were cast in Kibas direction. "C'mon guys! At least try it out. You might even like it." Reluctant glances were exchanged but the understanding Shino stood up and assisted the desperate boy in his endeavor to see how large Sasuke was. The others saw how Shino willingly volunteered, and Lee enthusiastically got up to join in. Shikamaru saw this action as a drag which defeated the purpose of _relaxing_ in a hot spring. Neji seemed to be above the action, feeling that he was satisfied enough with his own way.

Kiba looked toward Naruto with an encouraging smile." Naruto! Try it out!" A reluctant half smirk reached Narutos face as he stood up to stretch with the others. Kiba smirked as he felt his spontaneous plan working. 'Now all I have to do is get Sasuke to get up.' Kiba sent a fake smile to the Uchiha and urged him to try it out. The Uchiha sent a disapproving look to Kiba.

"Sasuke. Have a little fun for once. You are here to spend time with us so why not try it?" Kiba felt even more motivated by the Uchihas rejection.

Naruto nudged the pale boy when he refused to do it. Kiba watched with envy as Narutos prompts caused the boy to relent. Sasuke stood up and Kibas self esteem dropped.

'DAMN... He's impressive. He might even be bigger than me. I bet he takes supplements to get that that big. Yeah... He's not natural for sure. Plus he has easy access to supplements since Sakura goes goo goo for him. She probably makes it for him. That's definitely it. He takes supplements.' Kiba mended his self esteem by chanting his explanation in his head like a mantra. Kiba sat down, feeling a little defeated.

"What's wrong Kiba? The workout has just started! We must continue onward if we want the water to be fully absorbed by our skin! This is just the beginning!" Lee continued stretching like a maniac as everybody else sat down.

Kiba leaned back and listened as Neji and Shikamaru discussed what they would want to eat later. He glanced over at Shino who was giving his unreadable look. From years of hanging out with him, Kiba knew what the man was thinking. Kiba closed his eyes and ignored the disapproving looks from Shino. It wasn't long before he felt a nudge on his side.

Naruto texted in his phone to him to him. 'I should get going. I have a meeting today.' Kiba felt his organs drop.

"You don't have to go! we just got here! I thought you were going to spend the entire day with me!... I mean us." Kiba almost shouted.

Naruto stared into those pleading brown eyes and sighed. 'Im sorry Kiba. Maybe next time...'

The blonde got out of the water and wrapped a towel loosely around his waist. "Where are you going?" Sasuke asked. Kiba had a clear view of him since Naruto wasn't in between them. Naruto mouthed something to Sasuke that was indecipherable to Kiba but judging from the grimace on Narutos face, it seemed like he wasn't being all that nice to Sasuke. The boys repeated byes to Naruto as he exited.

Kiba turned to the rest and closed his eyes. He sat there in a meditative mood for a while until he felt movement in the water. He opened his eyes to see that there was no Sasuke. He sent a questioning look the others and they simply shrugged. Kiba also stood up, and exited the bath. He wrapped the towel on his way into the locker room. There he saw the Uchiha removing his clothes from his locker. Sasuke felt Kibas presence and half turned around. Kiba stood there, unsure of the reason he was here for. After a moment, Sasuke continued removing the rest of his clothes from the locker. It took a few seconds for the thoughts to collect in Kibas mind, but when they did Kiba said them shamelessly.

"I don't know why you're back. I don't actually care all that much, really. But, if that reason has anything to do with Naruto, I suggest you stay away. He doesn't need you anymore. You mean nothing to him." Kiba stood there, proud of how strong he sounded.

Sasuke slowly closed his locker and turned around. "Whatever delusion that occupies your mind is of no concern to me. It might be true that I mean nothing to him anymore. However, I can see how much you mean to him. It doesn't seem like much."

Kiba felt his chest puffing out. His eyes became slits and his lips were baring the white fangs on each side of his mouth. Kiba tightened his hand into a fist. "You...are the one that turned Naruto into this. You made him obsessed with bringing you back to the village. He became so obsessed with bringing you back...He didn't have time for any relationship. He didn't care about anything but you. He neglected his friends, his health, his relationships...and me. All for you."

"Well, maybe, if you were more interesting, he would've became preoccupied with thoughts other than me."

"It was you who made him go out on that mission to get stronger! He wanted to get stronger for you! He wanted to fight the Akatsuki for you! Everything he did revolved around you!" The way Kiba shouted caused the other men to come into the locker room but not in time. Kiba swung at Sasuke, who in turn, grabbed that wrist and snapped it. Kiba cried out but continued to strike at him. Shino immediately restrained the tattooed boy who shouted more insults at the Uchiha.

"You were the one that did this to him! It was your fucking brother that did this to him! All you did was nothing! NOTHING! I heard that all you did was watch! You think you're strong? Well, you're not! You're a weak bastard who couldn't even hold his own! You don't deserve all that Narutos done for you! You will never be able to kill your brother! Never! NEVER!"

Sasuke had activated the Sharingan out of anger as Shino dragged Kiba out of the room, who was screaming "never" over again. Neji and Shikamaru watched the Uchiha carefully to see if he was going to make a move. When they saw that Sasukes anger subsided they let their defenses down and exited the room, leaving Sasuke to think.

* * *

><p>The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom. They let their petals fall softly around Naruto. He walked slowly through the pink snow that caressed him with their delicate fleshy petals. It seemed as a peaceful afternoon but Naruto knew hat the falling of these petals signified death. The momentary beauty of the pink petals defined the fleeting existence of happiness. All these petals were destined to fall, die and then rot into the ground. To appreciate the falling of the petals meant that Naruto had to appreciate deaths ever present existence. So Naruto appreciated the falling of the petals. He also didnt mind death. It was a savior of all things. 'If death were to kiss me right now I don't think I would have a problem.' Naruto mouthed these words to himself as he inspected a petal that fell on the back of his hand.<p>

"That doesn't sound at all like the Naruto I know."

Naruto turned around frantically for the the source of that voice. That voice... That chakra... He was back. Narutos eyes fell upon the cold-eyed man, standing only a few meters from him. The petals seemed to avoid the cloaked man completely as he stood. It was as if the natural elements didn't touch him at all. The gentle breeze seemed to go through him and the rays that show through the trees branches didn't shine on him.

Naruto immediately began to form his wind rasen shuriken and throw it at the SharingN wielder.

Confusion followed by panic filled Naruto as the jutsu vanished. He looked up to see a red moon appear in the afternoon sky. 'Im in his genjutsu. But how?' Naruto thought. He got into his defensive stance as he saw Itachi approaching him.

"I'm not here to fight you. I just want to talk." Itachi said as he stopped a meter short of Naruto. Naruto remained still and watched the Uchiha closely.

"What is Sasuke to you?" Itachi asked.

Naruto remained motionless But he thought of the question. He wasn't sure... He wasn't sure if he felt anything at all about the boy anymore. The only association he had with him was only because of Danzo.

'Nothing.' Naruto mouthed.

"Why is that? I thought you were like a brother to him. A better brother than I."

Naruto frowned. 'That was a long time ago.'

"Then what is this village to you?"

'Why are you asking me all this? Why are you here? Don't you think you've done enough?"

"This village is threatened by Sasuke. This is why I asked you."

Naruto stared at the man. 'What do you mean?'

"The day the Akatsuki extracted the kyuubi from you, I learned that Sasuke has been told about my last mission at the Leaf. Sasuke didn't hate me like before. He approached me saying that he wouldn't rest until the Leaf was in ashes. Concluding from what I've heard from him, his first target is Danzo."

'What was that mission?' Naruto suspiciously asked.

"It was to annihilate the Uchiha clan."

'Why should I believe you? That sounds like a pointless justification of your actions.'

"You don't need to believe me. All you need to see is the file. I'm sure Danzo kept the file to himself. He wouldn't discard a piece of information that satisfies his pride."

'Why do you care if the village is destroyed? This should mean nothing to you.'

"My loyalty to the village still remains. All I wish to see is the stability of this nation."

'What has this got to do with me then?' Naruto furrowed his eyebrows.

"I will tell you once you see the file. If I tell you now you might alert the foundation."

'Who says I won't do that now? I could just as easily expose you to the foundation.'

A hint of a smile crossed Itachis face. If Naruto read it right then there was a sincerity in that smile. "I know you won't report what I have told you to Danzo because of your curiosity. You may have changed Naruto...but you are still the same."

Naruto watched as his figure detached as crows pulled themselves apart and the man was becoming merely an apparition. 'If I do see the file then how am I supposed to contact you for the rest of the information.' Naruto quickly added as he saw his window of time closing with the Uchiha.

"You will figure out a way to find me."

With that he vanished and Naruto felt the affect of the genjutsu fade. He stood still and planned. It was the only thing he could do. He had to find out where Danzo might keep that file.


	10. Chapter 10

As entertaining as the ceiling was Sasuke didn't enjoy looking up at it all the time but he knew that his body was giving up on him as he lay in his bed. The past two weeks had been hell on earth. As much as Sasuke didn't like to admit it, Naruto had him exhausted from training. It seemed as if every day, after they went to the hot springs, Naruto was constantly showing Sasuke how easily his limits were reached and passed. Sasuke never thought he could have been pushed so far.

He frowned as he recalled the memory of almost dying at Narutos hands. It made him feel weak beyond his comprehension. 'How is Naruto able to beat me so easily?' Sasuke pondered about the aggressive blonde. He had never seen Naruto so angry. Naruto never held back, even if Sasuke was ready to surrender. Sometimes Sasuke felt that Naruto enjoyed hurting him. It seemed plausible since some days there wasn't really a lesson to teach Sasuke, rather more of a battle that reminded Sasuke how weak he was compared to Naruto.

Sasuke turned to the clock at his bedside. 3:02AM. It sounded ridiculous but he felt too tired to sleep. Besides, he had another training session with Naruto at 6, sharp. He had to be at the forest of death at exactly that time or else he would hear it from Naruto. To be more exact, he would feel it from Naruto since Naruto believed physical punishment helped teach lessons better. Sasuke disapproved of Narutos teaching style but they were effective. Sasuke felt himself getting stronger each day. He never felt so motivated before as he did now. Seeing Naruto achieve such a high level of power made Sasuke work even harder.

'If I keep training with Naruto then I can achieve what I've come here for. I just have to stay focused.'

* * *

><p>Salty sweat rolled down Narutos cold chest. He heaved as his mind reeled from the nightmare. Naruto sighed. It seemed that these nightmares took the solace he called his subconscious mind. Naruto looked at the time. 3:02AM. It was only two hours ago when his body decided it wanted to sleep after three days without rest. It wasn't so much the dream that Naruto dreaded. It was the man that always visited him in his dreams.<p>

Itachi haunted him every time he decided to fall asleep but tonight seemed to be the most difficult nightmare. It was simply because there was a new player in his nightmare. Sasuke was on Itachis side in the nightmare but that wasnt the worst part. It was the fact that Naruto thought half-way through the dream that Sasuke was with him. Betrayal was something Naruto despised and in his nightmare, Sasuke made the ultimate betrayal.

Naruto sat up and stared at his feet. These past two weeks Naruto felt odd. He wasn't sure why but he knew that he was becoming more cold towards Sasuke. Naruto was able to pin point it the other day as he thought of why he felt Sasuke to be more despicable than Itachi. 'Sasuke is supposed to be my friend. Someone I could trust. I expect something cruel from Itachi but not from Sasuke.'

Naruto felt no trust between him and Sasuke anymore. It was nonexistent. On the other hand, Naruto felt his hatred towards Itachi diminishing ever since their encounter. The man seemed genuine and it irked Naruto that he couldn't feel anything that wasn't neutral towards Itachi, despite what he did to him.

He played the encounter in his mind. There hasn't been an opportunity for Naruto to retrieve the file. In order for him to do that, Danzo had to be outside the village. There would be a lack of anbu inside his quarters. All Naruto had to do was keep track of Danzos whereabouts.

Naruto swung his legs over the bed. He decided he might as well get ready for the training session since sleep evaded him. Besides, he didn't want to return to that reality.

* * *

><p>The waterfall beat down on his back. The relentless pounding on his shoulders washed off the stench of blood. He looked over to see his cloak hung over a branch, drying off. After a few moments of standing he pushed through the water to get to the edge. He pulled his slick black strands of hair back, as it whipped around his face. The breeze struck him, immobilizing him for a second as the cold reached his bones. He moved forward, keeping his guard up, constantly moving his cursed red eyes. He reached the tree where his clothes hung, dry as they faced the morning sun. He stood in the sun, feeling the warmth that could only be felt from the sun. His body remained slightly damp as he pulled his clothes on. The stench of the blood still lingered on his clothes. They seemed to remain there as persistently as they could. He left his hair open for the gentle wind to dry. He walked a few kilometers to the next town. When he reached the end of the woods he pulled his damp hair back into a pony tail and placed the straw hat over his head. He moved steadily onto the path that led to the town.<p>

When he reached his destination, he navigated through crowded streets to find that café where he would find that strange blue man. It didn't take long for him to see the brightly colored café. He entered and sat across from a similarly attired man.

"You finally done or do you need another hour to groom yourself?" The shark man grinned widely, showcasing a full set of malicious teeth. His comment was ignored. They both sipped on a cup of tea, paying close attention to their surroundings.

"So what now? Where are we headed to?" The blue man asked in a raspy voice. "We have nothing better to do now that we've got the kyuubi."

"We are going to the Leaf."

"Why?" The blue mans upper lip peeled back in annoyance. "I'm tired of that place. We went there just two weeks ago. Let's go to the place two streets down. I heard that the girls there are clean. I also heard that they are cheap. 200 ryo each. They go for as long as you want. That seems like a good deal to me." The corner of the blue mans mouth went up.

"Very well. We can go our separate ways for today."

"Aw c'mon. Don't be like that. I know you've been under a lot of stress so why don't you just come with me?"

"At midnight I will meet you at the hideout."

The blue man watched as his partner finished his cup and exited the shop. He released a low sigh and sipped on his tea alone, gazing at the girls that passed by from time to time.

* * *

><p>Sasuke panted as he bent over to catch his breath. His lungs expanded, sucking in as much air as they could. He slowly opened his eyes to see that Naruto was holding his phone out to him.<p>

'You are doing well.' Sasukes eyes slightly widened. He didn't expect encouragement from Naruto so easily. He looked up to see Naruto still had his stern face on. There wasn't a hint of change in his face but his words said the opposite.

Sasuke did notice his own improvement. Usually he was laying on the ground, exhausted from the physical training but today he was only doubled-over. However he didn't think that Naruto would care to comment on it.

Sasuke slowly straightened up to look at him in the eyes. He searched for the encouraging words from his eyes but they revealed nothing. They were still blank which led Sasuke to believe that there might not be truth to his words. Sasuke nodded to Naruto anyways as a sign of appreciation.

'Training is over for today.' Naruto mouthed to the drenched Uchiha. A wave of relief soothed Sasukes muscles as he understood those words. It was over. He could finally go home. He turned towards the setting sun to see his entire day was dominated by training. Sasuke turned as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

'Do you want to go eat?' Another surprising thing from Naruto. Sasuke contained his rapidly wild emotions and nodded to question. Naruto walked alongside the Uchiha towards the center of town.

They paved through busy vendors and flashing lights that overtook the village at night. Distant chattering filled the void silence between the two. Surprisingly to Sasuke, the silence between them wasn't awkward. It was rather comfortable. What didn't surprise him was the place that Naruto wanted to eat at. He looked up at the sign that said "Ichiraku Ramen!". They pulled back the hanging papers with kanji on them and took a seat. The chef turned around and seemed to be taken by surprise.

"Naruto? It's been so long! I've missed your company, you know? I have customers coming and going but none like you!" Teuchis head swiveled to see Sasuke. "And you've brought a friend?" The man exclaimed enthusiastically. He leaned towards Sasuke. "You know Naruto doesn't really bring many people around here, as much as he loves ramen. You must be something else." He grinned clownishly at Sasuke, who in turn stared back with his singular dull expression. "So what would you boys like?" He picked up a glass from the counter and rubbed it squeaky with a white cloth.

Naruto typed in his phone. 'Miso ramen for me and katsudon for him.'

Teuchi smiled, his eyes turning into slits. "Sure thing!" He headed to his task leaving the two to themselves. Naruto tapped his wooden chopsticks lightly on the table, creating a rhythm.

"So what's the occasion?" Sasuke finally spoke up.

Naruto didn't bother to look at him or stop tapping his chopsticks on counter. 'Nothing.'

"So why did you suddenly decide you wanted to treat me?" Sasuke inquired.

'No reason.'

Sasuke gave up small talk and sat there as Naruto tapped out a different beat. They listened to the bustle of the knifes chopping vegetables and waited for their food. The entering and exiting of people from the shop didn't disturb the atmosphere that surrounded the boys. Even the sound of a familiar voice didn't disturb them.

"Hey guys!" The two didn't turn to the voice of Sakura. She remain relentless and stood between them. "I can't believe you guys are actually hanging out together! Look at all of us! Together like old times. Just team seven. I'm going to join you two!" She pulled up a stool inbetween the non-protesting boys. Sasuke watched as she cut off the view from Naruto who resumed his playful chopstick tune. His eyebrow twitched as Sakura turned to him and spewed useless sentences at him. He endured the insistent speech until Teuchi returned with two healthy servings of ramen. Teuchi noticed Sakura and looked interchangeably between Sasuke and Sakura.

"You guys are really cute together, you know." He commented. A blush spread across Sakuras face.

"Haha. We are NOT together." Sakura emphasized. "I'm interested in someone else actually." She looked down at her hands, like a shying school girl. Teuchis interest peaked and they carried on the conversation about Sakuras love life. Sasuke looked over Sakura to see Naruto was already eating his ramen.

Sasuke did the same and swallowed the heated ramen, keeping Naruto in his vision. He thought of what Teuchi said, of how Naruto barely brought people over to eat ramen. 'Is it possible that he wants to be friends?' Sasuke thought. It was a possibility that didn't seem bad to Sasuke. Another thought struck him as he considered what he just implied. 'When did we stop being friends?' Sasuke reviewed the past events and figured that it must have been after Sasuke had visited Naruto in the ward. Unpleasant memories flooded his skull as he remembered Naruto spewing mute words of hatred at him. A chill went down Sasukes spine as he recalled Narutos face that spoke of all his anger which his words couldn't convey. That must be it. When they had stopped being friends.

He looked at Sakura and Naruto. Sakuras words swam in his head. He considered the possibility of them all being like before. It could happen if Naruto likened up to Sasuke. 'By the looks of tonight it might be true. We might all be together like before.' This possibility removed any traces of displeasing thoughts From Sasukes head.

'Maybe I should just let go of what I came here for.' Sasuke observed his peers and his mouth twitched into a half smile. 'This situation seems more satisfying.' Sasuke returned to eating his ramen with pleasant feelings. He turned to see an empty bowl and no Naruto. Whatever pleasant feelings he held before were gone.

"Where did Naruto go?" Sasuke asked Sakura. She turned and looked back to seem just as surprised. Sasuke didn't bother to wait for her answer. He got up and exited into the crowded street. Sasuke spun around, looking past heads to spot that familiar head of hair. The movement of people and lights disoriented Sasuke for a moment and as he looked frantically for the blonde, he felt a sinking feeling in his abdomen. He jumped onto the top of a store and searched for him, leaping in whatever direction his body took him.

* * *

><p>Naruto hopped on the rooftops in the direction of the roots secret headquarters. He noticed at Ichiraku that there was a lack of anbu in the surrounding areas. This was the perfect opportunity to find that file. Whatever reason there was to leave the roots headquarters guarded with its weaker anbu had to be big. There must've been a threat to the village. Naruto approached the Hokages building. The most secure place for the root to hide was ironically right below the Hokages nose and below the building. Naruto had to make this quick. If he were to retrieve the file he would have to make it back within a few minutes.<p>

* * *

><p>The man looked at the bodies surrounding him, laying limply on the forest floor. He scanned the area and read that familiar chakra signature. The fact that he would come out seemed unlikely but convenient. The man thought. He looked at the approaching man. The bandaged figure emerged from the shadows of the trees.<p>

"What brings you here, Itachi?" The bandaged figure said.

Itachi remained silent. He looked at the lone man and figured that there were exactly fourteen anbu in the nearby trees. He prepared for his next assault. As much as he disliked shedding any blood, this was necessary. 'This might give Naruto some time.'

* * *

><p>Narutos hands shook as he held the crinkled scroll. The dimly lit room made Naruto question whether or not it was the lack of light that changed the words but he knew better. The words written here were as real as the pretentious moon. 'So Itachi was telling the truth...' Naruto thought as he inspected the scroll for water marks that indicated that it was an authentic S-rank mission. Naruto burned the mission details into his mind before placing the scroll back in its place. Naruto wondered what else Itachi was telling the truth about. 'Is Sasuke really after Danzo?' Logically, it was a great revenge but... Naruto had to be sure before he could do anything else.<p>

Naruto froze as he heard the door click open. 'Fuck.'


	11. Chapter 11

Naruto turned to the opening door and prepared his hidden weapon. Today was not the day he was going to get caught. The door opened and Naruto made a swift transition from point A to point B. The blade plunged into smooth flesh. A smirk appeared on Narutos face as he thought. 'Poor sucker didn't even see it coming.' Naruto felt a hand grab his elbow tightly as the body slipped to the floor. Before falling flat, the body turned over, revealing a panting Sasuke. Narutos eyes widened as he locked gazes with the bleeding Uchiha. Narutos mind went completely blank as Sasuke looked up at him with a mixture of confusion and betrayal. Naruto went rigid. 'Why didn't I sense his chakra earlier!?' His heart panicked as Sasuke began to breath irregularly.

Reality smacked Naruto in his face, causing him to finally react. He stripped himself of his jacket and wrapped it tightly on Sasukes wound. The tight material would keep him from bleeding out. Naruto avoided meeting Sasukes eyes as he would know what lay there. He carefully picked up Sasuke, who groaned regardless of Narutos gentle touch.

It took longer for Naruto to exit the building with Sasukes weight but he made it out undetected. "Naruto..." A weary Sasuke spoke but Naruto ignored him as his insides cringed from hearing Sasukes voice.

'It would take approximately five minutes to reach the hospital... Thats too long.' Naruto rationalized his next actions. 'They would also want an explanation for his injuries.' He thought critically until EUREKA! Naruto knew a place that was faster to reach with a medic ninja. Naruto charged his feet with chakra and leaped a hundred feet into the air. 'Hold on Sasuke. Just a little longer.'

* * *

><p>Sakura sat on her chair, staring into the mirror and combing her hair. She was dressed with a silk robe, hiding lingerie. The thought of her skimpy clothes exhilarated her. She was expecting a visitor. A tall, dark haired, awkward visitor. She smiled to herself at the thought of him. It wouldn't be long before he came.<p>

BANG!

Sakura rose from her seat, knowing that her visitor would never enter this way. She rushed into her living room to see the front door wide open, swinging in the wind. Movement in the corner of her eye led her to the kitchen.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" She shouted at Naruto who was laying a half-awake Sasuke on her table. Her attention shifted from Naruto to Sasuke. "What happened to him?" She said as she went to his side. A cold sweat ran down her temple as she realized how much blood he lost. Sakura immediately went to action and placed her chakra surrounded hands over Sasukes wound. Her worried face turned to Naruto. "Naruto, what happened?" She observed the boy as his mouth frantically moved but she understood nothing. "What? Say that again Naruto." Naruto tried to speak to her slowly, exaggerating the movement of his lips. "Huh?"

'SHUT UP!' Sakura jumped as Naruto slammed the table with his open palms and attempted to shout at her. She finally understood what he said. 'HEAL HIM.' Naruto glared at the stunned Sakura and without a word she focused on Sasuke, still shaking from Narutos reaction.

As she worked she noticed the gaping wound wasn't closing quick enough.

"Naruto?" She called in a worried tone. Naruto raised his eyebrows as if to ask her what she needed. "There isn't enough blood for his wound to close and it is too big." Tears began to streak her face. "I'm afraid that..." She stopped as she saw a phone held in front of her face.

'Tell me what I have to. Do you need blood?' Sakura nodded to Naruto.

"But Naruto! You aren't his blood type. He is type A. You're type B. There's no way we could find someone to donate blood at this time."

Naruto held out his phone to her again. 'Dont worry about it. We don't need to get someone to donate.' Sakura looked up at Naruto with bewildered eyes. 'Just keep healing him Sakura. I'll be back.' Sakura stared with those same big eyes as Naruto left in a flash.

* * *

><p>Naruto recalled one of the men he worked with in the Anbu having type A blood. It was in his file. Naruto also knew that he would be at home at the moment. Maybe with his wife and kid. Naruto wouldn't want to wake them up. That would be rude. Naruto approached the house and slipped in through the second floor window into the bathroom. A layout of the mans house was in Narutos memory. From the bathroom, Naruto went one door down into the mans bedroom. He placed his hand on the handle and slowly twisted it. Naruto entered stealthily and found both man and wife sleeping soundly. He walked around the bed to the mans side and made no hesitation. Naruto stuck the mans pressure point in his neck, causing the man to spazse but undoubtedly fall unconscious. He pulled the man from his slumbering wife and left through the window. It didn't matter what it would take. 'I had to make a sacrifice.' Naruto chanted this over and over like a mantra. He reached back to a frowning Sakura, removing an organ. Naruto laid the man next to Sasuke.<p>

"Where did you get him?" Sakura stared at Naruto in shock.

'Doesnt matter. He is Sasukes blood type. Use him. Save Sasuke.' Naruto gave Sakura a solid look as her eyes began to water again. 'Im going to finish something up. Don't let me down Sakura.' Naruto left with the breeze before he could hear Sakura say something.

"...You've really changed...Naruto."

* * *

><p>Naruto entered the dark room and stared at the dark liquid that pooled below his feet. He pulled out a bottle from his sash and poured it over the dark liquid. It bubbled and fizzled as it decomposed with the dark liquid. It was a formula that Naruto had stolen on a mission. He knew it was strictly forbidden to bring back anything from a mission but the valuable solution proved useful considering that it disintegrated DNA from any scene. 'No one will know of Sasukes arrival here.' Naruto pulled a rag from his pocket and swept away the no longer fizzing liquid. There would be no evidence that Danzo could use against him. None at all.<p>

* * *

><p>Itachi moved towards the cave. The dark night hid his bloodied cloak. The stench perpetrated his surroundings and flipped his stomach like cartwheels. His thoughts drifted from the smell of blood to Naruto. He trusted that Naruto would've made it in and out in time. There was no doubt in that. However, it felt as if an insect roamed Itachis mind, clicking against his skull, warning him of a calamity. It irked him.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Fade in... Fade out... Pink blob... A pain... where is it?... It's everywhere...I can't feel anything but pain... Naruto... Where are you?... darkness...so dark...Fade in... Fade out...Who are you?... Such dark wings... Red lips... Closer... Closer... You're going to give me peace?... Everlasting... Just let you kiss me?... Such dark wings... Such a dark angel... No... Not now... I can't leave now... There is too much left...to finish ... Leave me... LET ME BE... Such Dark wings... Such dark shadows... Pink blobs move... Fade in...out...in...out.<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

Naruto slipped on his shin guards and chest plate. He tightened the straps and reached for his mask on the counter. He inspected the mask and saw the careful mending on it. The mask had to be repaired after it was broken by Itachi. Looking at it now made Naruto numb. There was too much going on. There was so much Naruto didn't want to think about and yet he was forced too. Naruto placed the mask on his face and tightened the strips of cloth behind his head. The mask clutched onto his face, giving him a new identity. It hid his intentions and separated him from the world. Naruto was pleased with his mask, but not the current situation in which he were to wear it in. Naruto received a text a few minutes ago from Danzo, ordering him to his office. It was normal to be requested at a short notice like this but considering the events of this night, Naruto felt edgy. 'What if this has something to do with the scroll? Or maybe they found some of Sasukes blood in the office? No. They can't. I removed it but there might be a chance...' Naruto weighed the options of exposure while he packed his weapons away into secret slots in his uniform. Sasukes blood might be discovered if the disintegrating solution wasn't grade A material. Naruto sighed. He grabbed his phone and left through the window. He wanted to see if Sakura was able to heal Sasuke but... Damn Danzo might get suspicious if Naruto arrived late. There wasn't a way to visit Sakuras house without being late. 'Only time would tell... I guess.'

* * *

><p>"There was an alert for all experienced Anbu to report to the outer forest. Where were you?" Danzo seemed even more irritable this night.<p>

'I was training. With Sasuke Uchiha.' Naruto had moved his mask over his head to show his mouth.

"That doesn't excuse your absence. Itachi Uchiha paid us a visit tonight. His intentions were unclear as he did not come for a specific purpose, but then again I don't give a damn. What I want is for you to track him tonight and kill him. He hasn't gone too far from here considering the time lapse." Danzos scowl seemed more prominent...or maybe it was the lighting. "Where is your jacket that you are so fond of?"

Narutos mind flashed him the memory of a bleeding Sasuke but there was not a glimpse of it on his face. 'I put it to wash.'

Danzo looked unconvinced. There was a long pause before he spoke again."Sai will accompany you, along with Minao and Tenu. You are dismissed."

Naruto exited the building with relief. Danzo knew nothing of what went on tonight. It was going to stay like that for as long as Naruto needed it to be. Narutos mind shifted to planning a strategy on finding Itachi and what their formation was going to be. It was likely that Kisame would accompany Itachi so Sai and Minao would take care of him. Tenu was weak so he could pair up with Naruto so he could easily be knocked out. There were too many questions that Itachi was going to answer and Naruto didn't need an annoying partner to ruin it. Naruto reached one of the hidden paths in the Konaha wall. There he spotted the other three and approached them.

'Sai and Minao will take the northeast end and Tenu and I will go northwest. We all have scrolls. As soon as we find our target we use the scrolls to transport the other team to the current location of the target. Understood?' Naruto looked up to double check that his plan was clear.

"It would be a better idea if I were to go with you instead." Sai commented.

'No. I don't think so.'

"I do think so." Sai emphasized the 'do'. "I can see us calculating our next move, regarding some issues that we might have at hand. Besides, it might be enjoyable to discuss some of the activities team seven has been up to lately."

It clicked. Narutos worries were true. Someone had found out about Sasuke. Of all people it had to be Sai, the biggest snitch Naruto has seen. Sai must've been visiting Sakura for their little late night sessions and just happened to stumble across a bloodied Sasuke.

'We would make a better team. Very well. Minao. Tenu. You both will go northeast. Sai and I will cover northwest. Now scatter.' The two groups split in opposite directions.

Naruto and Sai remained silent as they traveled, moving further anyway from their village and into the dark realms of the ninja world. The forest seemed darker as they got deeper. The night remained suspicious along with its ruler, the moon. Death seemed ever present as Naruto smelled decaying blood. 'This must've been where Itachi fought the Anbu. We are getting closer.' A strong impulse told Naruto that the reason Itachi was here was so Naruto could get a hold of the scroll. Whatever Itachis intentions were didn't concern Naruto at the moment. He had to see how much Sai knew or if he was taking a shot in the dark.

Judging the time that they traveled, Naruto knew now was the time that he question Sai. Naruto landed in a clearing and Sai followed. They remained silent, facing each other, letting the forest provide background noise for them.

"I think murdering Sasuke won't solve any of your problems." Sai started.

A bit of panic rose in Naruto. Was Sasuke dead?

"Danzo would be happy to hear about this. I just wish you would tell me why you were in his office this evening. It would save you a lot of interrogation. We could skip to the death sentence." Even with the mask on Naruto knew Sai had a smile plastered on.

Naruto sighed. 'I think we should skip to the death penalty.' Naruto weave signs leading to Sai sliding a scroll open to paint characters on them. They participated in a dance of Justus and swiveling weapons. Ultimately, Naruto was the one commanding the dance when Sai slit Narutos upper arm open. Sai felt euphoric and let his guard slip. It was the right moment.

Naruto coated his hand with chakra and pierced Sai in his lower abdomen, in his lower intestines, where there was the most blood. Sai dropped like a fly. This didn't stop Naruto however. He was going to finish the job.

He went on top of Sai, knee on each side of him and continually bludgeoned him with his own fists. Blood splattered on Narutos mask as it burst from the wounded boys face. Sai's teeth were smashed painfully in and his nose crushed into his skull. Sai choked on his blood and Naruto relentlessly pounded on his head. His skull crushed under the force of Narutos fist, causing Sai to forcibly accept deaths kiss. Even after, with arms dripping with blood, a dead boy underneath him, and the bones of that same dead boy jabbing into those unstoppable hands, Naruto didn't stop. Something drove him to keep pounding the boys already mush face into the ground. He went on like this. It seemed as if the numbness in Naruto kept him going until... Until what? Naruto wasn't sure what made him stop. Naruto pulled back and observed his work. It was a mess. Naruto stood up. The blood marinated his uniform as he peeled his eyes from what was left of Sai to see where he was.

It was so dark. He couldn't see the shadows that lurked around him anymore. It could've been just before dawn. He heard a voice.

"Are you satisfied Naruto?"

Naruto pulled back his soaking mask to see a shadowy figure. He didn't need to see him to know it was Itachi. His monotone voice was unforgettable.

"What are you going to say when the pink haired kunoichi questions his disappearance?"

Naruto felt a twinge of something. Not guilt but something. 'She will hear what everyone else is. You killed him. I was too weak to help. That's all.' Naruto dismissed the issue and began to think of what he was here for. 'Lets cut to the chase. I read the scroll. If Sasuke really wants to destroy the leaf, what do you want from me? Why are you telling me?'

"I need your help."

Naruto scoffed. 'Explain what makes you think that I will help you.'

"I have hurt you and I apologize. However, it was necessary to do what I did to you."

'What do you mean it was necessary? How is it necessary to rape someone? You sick bastard. I should have never came here if all you were going to do was be a self serving ass.' Hatred bubbled inside Naruto.

"I don't expect you to forgive me or help me. I just want you to hear me. I knew that if I hurt you in front of Sasuke then his hatred for me would rekindle. I never planned to do that to you until Sasuke revealed his plans to me. The reason I ask for your help today is that I know you are the only option to stop Sasuke. He chose a path of pain and loneliness and you can help him get off that path. Whether you help me or not doesn't change the fact that we both know the path of pain and loneliness. If you can see one of your friends go down that road then don't help Sasuke."

Naruto sighed. 'Dont think I am doing this because I forgave you. No matter what compelled you to have this future doesn't affect your actions. I'm doing this because I don't want anyone to feel what I've felt. Now tell me. What can I do?'

"Sasuke isn't working alone. He has someone guiding him. If you find that person then we can help Sasuke."

'Who do you think is leading Sasuke?'

"Madara Uchiha."


	13. Chapter 13

The flames rose into the dark night. Within the center of those flames remain the body of pale boy who crossed his limits and wood from a nearby tree. The crumpling of the remains echoed throughout the forest. Its heat remained the only source of light. It seemed that the moon didn't even have the audacity to shine in that particular area. Naruto stood there, watching the remains burn into nonexistence. Ash shot into the air, fluttering directionless. Although he disliked the burning boy, Naruto took his mask off in respect for the dead.

The fire burned until the red fingers of dawn crept past the trees limbs. Slowly, the fire died down, its ash beginning to finally descend. Emptiness filled the usually noisy forest. Emptiness filled the usually confident Naruto.

'What led to all this?" Naruto thought of the burning boy in front of him, the dying boy he left behind, and the absent boy inside of himself. "When did everything become so dreadful?' As if it were the answer, Naruto remembered something from long ago. It seemed like it were from another life. Naruto smiled bitterly at the memory. 'If only things could go back to what they were before.'

* * *

><p><em>It seemed as if the world was forcing him to make an effort. Not only was he dragged out of bed but he was dragged to this grassless area surrounded by a fence. He would've been sleeping peacefully but he had to be surrounded by a bunch of people who disliked him and were supposed to be his 'peers'. A seven-year old Naruto was beaming at Iruka-sensai. Today they were supposed to be having hand to hand combat. Naruto scrunched up his face as Iruka explained to them the honor of having a worthy opponent and to never underestimate your opponent. Irukas words seemed to move around Naruto, as his attention diverted to a butterfly.<em>

_"NARUTO!" Naruto flinched as he heard his sensai yell. "Do you think that butterfly is going to help you win a match?" Iruka had a twitching eyebrow. indicating his annoyance._

_"Probably not but its more interesting than you Iruka." Naruto grinned devilishly as Iruka face-palmed himself._

_"Its Iruka SENSAI." The man stressed it but his disrespectful pupil continued to call him with out the formal ending. _

_"Naruto shut up! Iruka was saying something important before you started being annoying!" Sakura screeched at Naruto from the other side of the area._

_"How can Naruto start being annoying if he never stopped?" Ino joined the bashing of Naruto. The rest of the group burst out laughing at her comment. Naruto was seething._

_"SHUT UP!" Naruto shouted, unsuccessfully quieting them. He glared at each one of them. All of them laughed at him...except for one. Naruto glared in that boys direction. Sasuke was staring lazily at something at the ground, between his foot and a grass-blade. It seemed as if all that was happening didn't concern him. He probably wasn't even listening to Iruka. As if he sensed Narutos stare, he looked up with a dull expression and looked away as quickly as he looked up. Naruto grimaced. 'He thinks he's so cool. Too cool to laugh with these boneheads at me.' Naruto knew it was a stupid reason to be mad at the boy. In fact, he should happy that there is one less person laughing at him but that wasn't because Sasuke didn't find Inos joke funny. He just didn't care about anything. It seemed as if nothing mattered to Sasuke. 'What's his problem? Why is he always acting like he doesn't care?' Naruto saw Ino and Sakura glance at Sasuke to see if he noticed their comedy gold but were disappointed when they saw he couldn't care less. It was evident that Sakura seemed remotely upset that she didn't get the attention she craved for and this pissed Naruto off. 'Does he think its cool hurting Sakuras feelings? He doesn't even deserve her. She needs a guy who cares for her. Someone like me.' Naruto ran that last line over in his mind again. A blush was creeping up his neck. He ignored it as Iruka began again._

_"As I was saying, when you confront your match, you both will hold out your right hand with the index and middle finger extended, like this." Iruka demonstrated for the seven year olds. "You both will grip the others fingers with your own. This sign is a sign of recognization. You both will recognize the other as your equal. Shinobis do this as a sign of respect for the other. You will end your match with this gesture. Understood?" Iruku received a few nods and 'yup's from the class. "How about we start the match with the most experienced of us all? Naruto, come up." Iruka looked at Naruto who was looking back with disbelief then resistance._

_"Who says that I was the most experienced?" Naruto whined._

_"Your actions seemed to speak for themselves. You don't need to listen to me because you know it all already, right?" Iruka smiled sarcastically at Naruto who grudgingly walk over to the center of the area. "Your opponent will also be someone who doesn't like to pay attention. Sasuke, come here."_

_Said person walked towards the center, and stopped in front of Naruto,a few feet away. "Alright. You both know the rules. Begin." Iruka started them off and backed away, leaving the boys alone. The boys too backed away from each other and began to circle each other. Hoots and hollers were heard, cheering Sasuke to "kick Narutos butt". This angered Naruto who felt even more prompted to punch the self-centered brat in the face._

_'Who does he think he is? With his ridiculous hair cut and stupid attitude.' Naruto hyped himself up by insulting Sasuke in his head. When his ego was boosted enough he made the first move. It all happened in blur, leaving the crowd and Naruto to wonder how it all took place. Naruto was pinned to ground, the dust stirred up by the rough handling by Sasuke. Naruto stared up at him with wide eyes. Naruto looked into eyes that burned into him a feeling that wasn't unknown to Naruto._

_'His eyes...Show so much hatred. Why? But..it isn't for me. Who is he really thinking about?' Naruto felt a sliver of concern for the boy on top of him but it vanished as Sasukes stoic attitude returned. Sasuke stood up leaving Naruto laying on the ground. _

_"HEY! He cheated!" Naruto yelled angrily at Iruka. __Iruka seemed unaltered._

_"Not my fault you're weak." A smirking Sasuke received a few hoots from the girls as he said that._

_"Why you..!" Naruto attempted to charge at him as he stood up but Iruka was quick to stop him._

_"I want BOTH of you to shake on it. The match is finished." Iruka stepped back, allowing the boys space to come to terms. _

_They both reached out but instead of linking their two fingers they grabbed each others shirts, ready to fight again. Iruka broke the two up, as the crowd began to chant again. Naruto gave Sasuke a long look before he turned around and hopped the fence. He was done with this ridiculous display of power. Before he left he turned around to look at his opponent. Those eyes were haunting him. That feeling radiating from them was far too familiar to Naruto but he wondered what that feeling was doing inside of Sasuke. Even the booing of the crowd didn't distract him from those eyes. Naruto adjusted the goggles atop of his head and left the scene, his mind swirling with thoughts of Sasuke._

_It didn't take long for him to get home but when he did, the anger from today built up inside of him and he had to get it out. Naruto went inside his bedroom and hung up the stuffed punching bag that resembled Sasuke, above his bed. Upon that puppet, Naruto unleashed his full fury. It wasn't long before he was panting, sweating, and hungry. Naruto went to the kitchen and reached around his cabinets for some instant ramen. Naruto slumped his shoulders as he found nothing. 'Dang it. Guess I have to go out.' Retrieving his keys and frog wallet, he left the house. The door shut close but before Naruto could lock his door he caught movement in the corner of his eyes. He turned to see a butterfly. It was the butterfly from before. The same stupid butterfly that got him in trouble. _

_"You wait right there!" Naruto threatened the insect before he rushed back into the house. Naruto opened the cabinet under the sink in the kitchen. There, his hand grabbed a jar. He sprinted out the house to find that the butterfly didn't listen to his threat. It was a few feet away from his door but still reachable. Naruto locked his door and went in chase of the butterfly. Naruto jumped with the open jar in one hand and the lid in the other to trap the insect. The butterfly seemed to lead him all around town. It perched on merchandise which Naruto broke in an attempt to catch the butterfly. He made a mess wherever he was in his futile pursuit to get the insect. What followed him were curses from the villagers, as he left their shops, carts, and front porches a mess. Naruto chased the butterfly until he reached a plain grassy field. The sun had already set and the moon pushed past the clouds to showcase its cursed face. The butterfly perched itself on a flower and Naruto approached it slowly. "Stay still. Stay very still." Naruto cooed at the butterfly. It seemed that the butterfly was tired of the cat and mouse chase as it stood still for Naruto to capture it in the jar. _

_A sigh slipped from Naruto. "Finally caught you!" Naruto yelled as he screwed the lid back on the jar. The butterfly flew around a bit in the jar before landing at the bottom._

_"Look what we have here. The demon brat catching butterflies like a little girl." A voice behind Naruto caused him to turn around yelling at them._

_"Who you calling a gir..." Narutos voice faded as he saw that there were five taller boys near him. They seemed to be in their teens with varying ages. But that wasn't what stopped Naruto. He saw how they looked at him like a piece of meat and it kind of scared him. Their grins seemed to grow more sadistic as they saw the fear in Narutos eyes._

_"Yuh know my uncle was killed 'cause of you. Yuh pathetic bastard.__" One of them said, his voice having underlying menace. Narutos brows knitted together._

_"I didn't do anything to your uncle." Naruto spat back. Judging from their stance Naruto knew that they were defensive. "And you guys seem like pathetic bastards since you need five people to fight one kid." The grins from their faces vanished into frowns._

_"How 'bout we teach yuh some respect kid?" Another one spoke while snatching the jar from Narutos hand._

_"HEY!" Naruto yelled, running from one person to the next as they passed the jar around like a ball. The teens laughed as they watched the misery spew from Naruto as he hopelessly ran back and forth. Fed up with the humiliating torture, Naruto approached the next one with the jar and kicked him in his groin. HARD. The teen doubled over, gripping his crouch and dropping the jar. Naruto caught the jar and ran for his life. Behind him he heard shouts, then loud footsteps. Narutos heart sounded in his ears and he felt as if his lungs couldn't take in air fast enough. His legs moved too slowly for his liking and his arms swung uncoordinated. It seemed as if he couldn't run for his life. The boys were catching up and panic started to shake up every limb of Narutos. A bit of relief filled him as he saw a busy street appear form the side. Naruto took a sharp turn and wove through the crowded street. The vendors seemed to slow the teens down as they weren't small enough to creep in between them. Naruto used this tactic to escape and it was working as he heard cursing and shouts from the teens to be further and further away. It all seemed well until Naruto felt he needed to turn around to see their progress. He didn't notice the other boy in front of him and so they crashed into each other. Naruto rubbed his head as he got up from the floor. He looked up to see Sasuke rubbing his elbow and grimacing at him._

_"Watch where you're going, baka." Sasuke said as he stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants. Naruto collected his wallet and jar as they remained on the floor, and looked back to the teens had spotted him. They were also glaring at Sasuke. From instinct, Naruto grabbed Sasukes hand and pulled him._

_"Run!" Naruto said._

_"What are you doing?" Sasuke questioned._

_"Just RUN!" The two took off as Sasuke realized who was chasing them. They knocked people over and stepped on a few feet but it was ok. Naruto and Sasuke seemed to flow through the crowd, and past the busy lights that surrounded them. They were able to confuse the group and hid in a cramped alley. They faced each other, not having any room for leg space, so their legs tightly leaned against the others. Naruto put a hand over his mouth, as he realized that his breathing was making too much noise. He could feel his body pumping with adrenaline. They both listened quietly to the streets sounds. When the coast was clear they let out sighs of relief. Naruto suddenly panicked as he remembered how they threw his jar around with the butterfly in it. Naruto held the transparent jar in front of him and felt his chest cringe at the sight. The butterfly's wings were crumbling at the edges and it lay on its back, legs curled toward the center of its body. For some reason tears stung Narutos eyes. Realizing this, Naruto buries his head behind his knees as to not show the other boy his weakness. They remained like that for a few moments: Naruto silently weeping, and Sasuke stunned at his inability to console the weeping boy. Naruto wiped whatever tears remained with the back of his arm. He didn't bother to look at the other boy, as he left the jar at his feet and left the cramped space to go home. _

_Naruto couldn't feel his legs from all that vigorous running as he walked. He was in more quiet part of town. There were no lights, or people pushing to get to nowhere. There was an eerie silence that Naruto didn't notice. There was also footsteps that Naruto didn't notice._

_"Did yuh really think yuh could get 'way from us?"_

_Narutos eyes widened as someone grabbed his collar, dragging him backwards. Naruto yelled for help as he was thrown on the ground. The group repeatedly kicked at him and spewed curses in his direction. Hot tears squeezed out of Narutos eyes as he felt their kicks. He curled up, his arms wrapped around his head and his knees to his chest. It seemed as if the beating was going on and on until...it suddenly stop. Naruto dared to open one eye to see no one around. Slowly, he opened both eyes and sat up to see a single man. From a distance he saw that the group was running away. Naruto shifted his gaze back onto the man standing before him. 'So he chased them away, huh?' Naruto thought as the man crouched down to meet him at eye level._

_"Are you alright?" A calm voice laced with laziness greeted him from behind that mask. It was a strange mask, painted to look like an animal, that cover his entire face like he was in disguise. Naruto nodded to the man and in response the man reached out and helped Naruto up. Naruto noticed that the mans outstretched arm had a weird swirling tattoo on the upper part. His hair was brushed messily to one side and it looked strangely silver. 'Who has hair color like that?' Naruto thought as he observed the man. The man was definitely a shinobi but he was a different kind._

_The man turned around and crouched down. Naruto looked at him with confusion._

_"What are you doing?" Naruto asked. The man turned his head toward him, still in the same position and said,_

_"I'm going to drop you home. So get on my back." Naruto could feel a sweat drop from his forehead._

_"I think I could go home by myself." Naruto said uncomfortably._

_"Suit yourself." The man started. "But if those guys come back, don't look back and wish that you had just let me drop you off home." The man started to stand up slowly, giving Naruto time to think about his decision._

_"Wait! Drop me off home." Naruto said before the man rose completely._

_"Nice to know you have something other than a empty head on your shoulders." The man said teasingly. Naruto frowned but allowed himself to be in the piggy back position with the man. As the man jumped, Naruto was in awe at how high he was off the ground. The wind brushed his hair from all angles and his mouth gaped open._

_"Be careful. You don't want any bugs getting in there." The man said and immediately Naruto closed his mouth. It was surprising to see how fast they reached his house by the way the man jumped. Naruto frowned as he thought of something._

_"How do you know where I live?!" Naruto inquired. The man jokingly rubbed the back of his neck and said some lame excuse that Naruto couldn't even hear. Naruto opened his door and realized that he should thank the man. He turned but found no one in sight. He stood there, dumbfounded at the stealth of the shinobi. Naruto snapped out of it and went inside his apartment. He ran into his room and jumped on his bed, thinking of the awesomeness of the man he just met. He wanted to become that man. He wanted to have a mask just like that and be strong like him. Little did Naruto know that having that mask wasn't a blessing but a curse._

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><p>Naruto took in the sight of the ashes that lay before him. Itachi had given him a plan but Naruto disagreed with a few points. However, Naruto didn't voice his opinions about it. He would do things his own way. For once, he wasn't going to take orders. He was going to take action. But first he had to see if the younger Uchiha still held onto life. He also had to create grand spectacle of Danzos death. This was something that Naruto disagreed with Itachi. Danzo deserved to die and it would just be poetic justice if Sasuke were to kill him. So why not help out the Uchiha? 'The village would do better without him.'<p>

Naruto put his mask on and tied it from the back. He recalled reading in Itachis file that he wore this very mask when he was in the anbu. It was a strange coincidence, since they both planned to do things for the village in secret. Naruto felt the mendings in his mask before he left the sight.


	14. Chapter 14

**aturtlefromindia- It was brought to my attention that I should've used sign language rather than a phone. I admit that it is a better idea and I wish I thought of it sooner but I've gone to far into this story to turn back. Anyways, enjoy. :)**

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><p>The pain in his chest made Sasuke wince. Every little movement caused his body to be wrecked with pain. It had been two weeks since he was stabbed by Naruto and Sasuke didn't receive a word from his stabber since. He sat up thinking of how he hadn't seen or heard from Naruto. Paining jabs were felt in Sasukes chest. He took deep breaths until he calmed down the pain to a minimum. The room he resided in was Sakuras guest room. She remained his caretaker for the last two weeks, as he was unconscious for an entire week and barely awake for another. She didn't know what happened to him and Sasuke didn't plan on telling her. Still, she pestered him each day to remember what he said he didn't know about that night. As if she sensed his thoughts she entered the room with a plate full of cut and peeled apples.<p>

"Good morning!" Sakura said as she kicked the door behind her close. Her smile was fake. Sasuke noticed that she had grown more anxious as time went on. Sometimes he could hear soft sobbing through his walls. She had grievances but for what was unsure to Sasuke. She also brought up the fact that she hadn't heard from Naruto since that night from time to time. Sakura sat down softly on the bed, tipping the balance. "How are you feeling right now? Is your wound better?"

She didn't make a move to lift up Sasukes shirt as she learned from a previous attempt that performing that action had strong repercussions. Instead she simply took his word for it while he was awake and checked up on it while he slept.

"Hn." Sasuke replied as if it were a sufficient answer. He didn't reach for the apples that she placed on his nightstand since he had no appetite. A silence filled the room.

"I still haven't heard from Naruto." Sakura breathed out, looking at the apples distantly. The silence continued to fill the room. Almost as if she were tired of putting off her concerns, she finally spoke. "I haven't heard from Sai either..." Sasuke observed her. There was a longing that reminded him of when she used to look at him before. That desire for affection, tenderness, and comfort overtook her eyes, and distorted her face, making her suddenly look older. Sasuke felt an anger inside of him as he came to realize that he wasn't able to comfort her. She still remained a pest to him but she was distressed. This inability to comfort someone made Sasuke take the first step.

Sasuke reached out and brushed away tears that began to race down Sakuras cheeks. She looked up, as if she were snapped back from her sorrow. This gesture of kindness formed a small smile on Sakuras face.

"Who are you and what have you done with Sasuke?" Sakura joked. A smirk appeared on his face which urged Sakura to keep speaking. "You know, if you were more like this, I think more people would like you." Sasuke chuckled, which caused Sakuras heart to bounce within her ribcage. With the lightened atmosphere, they both sat, silenced by their lingering thoughts. "Sasuke?" Sakura whispered.

Sasuke paid close attention.

"I wish things were the way they were before, when we all were innocent and didn't know about this cruel world. I wish we still had dreams that we held onto to naïvely. Not the festering remains of one." Sakuras voice dropped to become barely audible. "I wish... I wish this was just a bad dream that I could wake up from."

The air hung low, over them as neither of them spoke.

"Sakura?"

She looked up, eyes devoid of any emotions but grief.

"Wishing things were back to the way they were, never did anyone any good. You have to cherish the time and perspectives that the past has given you. Don't dwindle on it." The words slowly sunk into Sakura until she spoke up.

"Can I say something?" When she heard no objections from Sasuke, she continued." There is no point in keeping stubbornness and vengeance in mind. We need to forgive ourselves for all the things we should've done and didn't do. Make peace with all the regrets of the past."

Sasuke knew what she was talking about; that fateful day that he wasn't able to help Naruto. They both reminisced of the past, so deep into their worries that they didn't hear the doorbell ring. The bell rang again and Sakura snapped out her trance and left to get the door. Sasuke sat still, barely breathing to hear who was at the door. His heart beat faster as he thought he heard Sakura say Narutos name. Sasuke strained his ears as heard fragments of sentences.

"..can't be...He promised to..." There was a loud wail that came from Sakura followed by unashamed sobs. Sasuke had to see what was going on. He moved his legs but his vision became dark with flashing colors as pain travelled throughout his body. Regardless, he moved as he continued to hear Sakura sobbing. His feet came into contact with the floor as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed but as he stood, they failed to support him. Sasuke came crashing down, and a sharp pain reverberated in his body as his chest wound split open. He grimaced and stood up with shaking hands. He gradually gained balance and took heavy steps toward the door as he heard Sakura crying even more. Sasukes hand stopped at the door knob.

There was no more crying. He couldn't hear any of it. Echoes of silence filled the other room and Sasuke couldn't help but feel a strong presence on the other side of the door. Almost as if reassuring his suspicions, the door knob turned as someone tried to open the door. Sasuke took a few wobbly steps back as the door slowly spun open. Blue eyes connected with black. Sasuke quickly looked past the closing door to see Sakura wasn't in the living room. The door clicked shut, stealing the view of the living room from Sasuke.

They looked at each other again. The air between them became stale and unnatural. Sasuke looked him over. He was wearing his anbu outfit but he didn't have his mask with him. Sasuke also didn't miss the katana that he held in his hand.

'Take a seat. You shouldn't be walking around. Youre injured.'

Sasuke did as he said but he gave him his imput first. "Well I wouldn't be injured if it weren't for someone's carelessness." This ticked the other off. Sasuke was roughly slammed to the bed, sending pain signals throughout the Uchihas body. When he refocused his vision he saw the man on top of him. His blonde hair seemed faded but longer . It hung over his eyes and brushed the Uchihas forehead. He scanned those eyes that sent him waves of hatred and couldn't help but find those eyes vaguely familiar. The blue in those eyes was electrifying against his sun-kissed skin that seemed unnaturally pale today. There was something else that Sasuke noticed. Those whisker-like marks on his cheeks. The pain that these marks gave him gave Sasuke an urge to comfort the man on top of him. Sasuke decided that he would take the second step in comforting someone. Without warning, Sasuke leaned forward and pressed his lips against these marks. It was a peck. Nothing more than a second but it was enough to widen those blue eyes.

Sasuke felt reassured to go back for a second time as the one on top of him didn't move away, so he did. Sasuke leaned forward but not towards the others cheeks. He brushed his lips against the others lips. The man on top recoiled back before Sasuke could make full contact. He seemed to be in panic and fell backwards off the bed. Sasuke sat up despite the pain in his chest to check on the other one. He stared up at Sasuke with those blue eyes before getting up and exiting the room.

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><p>Naruto stood in the kitchen, grabbing the countertop for dear life. 'What had just happened?" Naruto asked himself. With the move that Sasuke had just pulled, Naruto wasn't sure what to make of it. What he saw in Sasukes eyes confused him. There was no hate but...forgiveness? How? No matter all the anger that Naruto was able to muster, Sasuke looked back at him with a look of understanding. Then there came the first kiss. A shudder ran down Naruto as he recalled of the tenderness in the action. It turned everything negative he had inside of him into mush. The emotions melted like a candle.<p>

Heat rose up Narutos neck as he thought of Sasuke approaching Naruto for the second time. A foreign feeling had invaded Narutos mind as he felt Sasukes lips brush against his. It was a pleasant one which scared Naruto. Naruto thought that he had forgotten that feeling long ago but he was proven wrong. Naruto wiped the sweat that trailed down his neck. 'What is happening to me?'

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><p>Sasuke sat in bed for the last four hours. He knew that Naruto was still in the house but he hadn't come into the room after what he did. Worryful thoughts penetrated Sasukes head but he chased them off with thoughts of Sakura. She hadn't yet returned which confused him since this was her house. Sasuke pondered until the creaking of the door interrupted his thoughts. Naruto emerged with a tray in his hand. Two bowls of ramen with steam rising from it was atop of the tray, and Naruto carried it stealthily to the bed. He placed it on the nightstand next to the plate of browning apple slices that no one touched. Naruto turned his back on Sasuke and headed for the door.<p>

"Naruto?" Said boy froze in his tracks. He didn't turn around but waited for Sasuke to continue. "Do you want to eat with me?" Sasuke waited for a response, trying to curb his impatience. He frowned as he got his answer when Naruto exited the room. Sasuke turned to the steaming bowls of ramen. 'Was this all Naruto knew how to make? Ramen?' Sasuke questioned whether or not to eat the bowls when the door opened again. In came Naruto, struggling to keep the door open while he brought in a chair. Sasuke made an attempt to get up to help him but discontinued that attempt as Naruto shot him a commanding glare. It seemed as if Naruto couldn't make anymore noise than he already did, when he banged the chair on the door and wall multiple times, but he outdid himself when kicked the door close a bit to hard, making the walls shake. He dragged the chair to the edge and grabbed a bowl for himself. Sasuke did the same, feeling a smirk on his face as he heard Naruto noisily slurp the noodles. Sasuke took this time to ask some necessary questions.

"Where did Sakura go?" Naruto stopped mid-slurp to shift his eyes to Sasukes form. A long pause occurred, leading Sasuke to believe that Naruto was thinking of a lie.

'Shes dealing with some complications.' This was all that Sasuke was going to get out of Naruto and he knew it.

"What were you doing in the office underneath the Hokages tower?" Sasuke watched closely as Narutos eyes grew dark. Naruto leaned closer to Sasuke.

'Trying to protect this village. Now do you have any more questions or can I enjoy my ramen in peace?" Sasuke said nothing to this as Naruto stared him down before gobbling the ramen again. They both continued eating in silence before Sasuke opened his mouth again. Naruto caught him before he said anything and abruptly got up to leave. The door slammed shut, leaving Sasuke on his own.

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><p><em>The green blurs seemed to whiz by Narutos face as he hopped from tree branch to tree branch. A mass rose in his throat as he felt anxiety get the better of him. He tripped and fell, crashing to the forest floor. Narutos panic motivated him to run but stumbled wildly over his own two feet. As he lay, Narutos eyes rose to see wooden sandals , coming closer and closer to him. His eyes widened as he slowly scanned the man in front of him. The man's black coat with red clouds remained stiff as if there was no breeze to dare disturb them. The still man had the all too familiar face of a long gone friend but remained stoic and more fear-inducing. Those long strands of inky black hair escaped from the pony tail that attempted to bind them hung beside the man's pale skin. Naruto peered through his cracked anbu mask to look at his final stunning feature; Those all-knowing eyes that can bore into ones fantasies, thoughts, dreams, desires, and fears... Naruto opened his mouth and screamed. The screamed echoed through the forest and back at him.<em>

Narutos eyes shot open, his mouth opening as well, letting out a full-blown scream. He panted as he lay in his own sweat. It suddenly struck him that his right to scream was taken away from him. There was no way that he could let out a scream like that. Naruto flinched as he heard the scream again. He darted from the room to enter the only room occupied. He approached a fidgeting Sasuke who was shouting now. "I'LL KILL YOU! ILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Naruto jumped on the dreaming boy to straddle him and prevent him from moving. Naruto attempted to shout out Sasukes name but miserably remember his disability. Instead he slapped the Uchiha until he began to calm down. "I'll fuckin...you...tachi.."

'So the same man haunts both our nightmares...' Naruto let out a sigh as Sasukes eyes slid open. Naruto got off of him and sat with his legs outstretched on the bed. Naruto could hear Sasuke regain control of his breathing and reassess what was happening around him. When Naruto was sure that the Uchiha was stable he turned to go until he felt a hand gripping his wrist.

"Don't... Stay here until I fall asleep. Just for a few minutes." Naruto heard the nervousness in Sasukes voice and thought of how he felt when he would wake up from a fright. How he wished someone were there to lay with him, to make him feel safe. It wouldn't hurt if Naruto did this out of sympathy. He knew what it felt like so it wouldn't hurt to accompany the Uchiha this one night. Besides, he was only doing this out of sympathy.

'Only because of sympathy.' Naruto lay down with his back turned to the Uchiha. He listened closely to the Uchihas breathing until he determined that he had fallen asleep. Naruto would've got up, since their deal was only to stay until Sasuke was asleep but the bed had coaxed him into a drowsy haze. Naruto felt his eyelids slowly shutting. He was about to fall asleep when he felt an arm around his waist. Naruto didn't have to look down to know whose it was. His mind told him to push it off but his body said to relax and sleep. His body won this round as he felt the warmth from the arm radiate into his side. 'This is only for tonight. Just tonight.' Naruto thought as he was lulled to sleep with the corner of his mouth up. He felt that foreign feeling spreading in his system from before. Peace overtook Narutos body for the night.


	15. Chapter 15

The streets were void of people and littered with trash. Around a few alleys, mutts skittered back and forth for search of food. A few lamp posts flickered, illuminating the damp asphalt. A strange buzzing came from those lamps and the labored breathing of the mutts accompanied that buzzing. A new sound came to join this string of noise. The dogs perked their ears and their heads propped up to look for the source of that noise. They scampered away, whimpering as they spotted someone turn the corner.

Footsteps echoed through the murky streets. The flickering lamp posts cast fleeting shadows of that girl walking leisurely through the street. Her feet rose and fell as though weighed by stones. Her head hung low, resembling a wilted flower. Those pink tresses shadowed her darkened jade eyes. Her lips moved softly, but didn't vocalize any words. It was as if she were casting a spell, hexing her enemies. A splashing sound reverberated as her foot crashed into a murky puddle. The musty air hung low, smelling of rotting garbage and defecation.

She stopped in her tracks and her head reared up to look at the wall separating the village from the forest. This area wasn't as well guarded as the other ones, judging from the lack of life. It would've been easy to leave the village through here. Charging her feet with chakra, she leaped over the wall and landed into one of the trees. Her feet continued to jump and land onto trees, moving her further and further away from the village. She continued to move forward until she reached a great body of water.

It simmered luminescent light back at her, remaining still to the touch. The moons reflection lay directly in the center of the lake, it's image undisturbed. Her feet glowed lightly with chakra. Slowly, she placed a foot on the surface of the water. Ripples traveled through the water, disturbing the image of the moon. She placed one foot in front of the other, walking slowly as if attempting to walk on water for the first time. Her feet stopped when they landed in the middle of the reflection of the moon.

She stopped and waited until the water was still once more until she gazed at the moon. Then she began to form signs. Air whirled around her, lifting up her hair and fluttering her clothes.

A empty silence followed her when she stopped, her hands glowing with a deadly red chakra. Slowly, she placed those hands on her chest.

A hot white pain spread through her chakra vessels. It traveled like hot magma and cornered her chakra to her core. A red seal appeared on her chest, swirling to her limbs. Her chakra solidified in her core, caged by her seal and she dropped like lead in the water.

She never knew how to swim. Tonight was no exception. She panicked, thrusting her arms in whichever direction as if to gain traction from the waters surface. Her attempts were fruitless and she sunk as the water delved into her lungs, drowning her. Her chakra was useless, trapped within her. She floated softly to the lake floor, her vision blurred by a calming darkness. There was blue all around her. So much blue that she didn't notice the black shadow that appeared before her. There were red lips and such dark wings, floating to her, almost as if those wings were unaware of the waters tension. Hands held hers carefully, like she were made of porcelain. Those red lips came closer, and a eerie calm overtook the drowning girl.

There was blue all around her. So much blue that she didn't notice another dark figure brush away those dark wings. Her vision finally mixed until darkness enveloped her senses.

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><p>A burning pain bubbled up in her chest and spewed through her mouth. It splattered onto her face but she felt nothing. The chills of the night water shocked her to the bone, numbing her body. She lay limp, letting her eyes adjust to the blurred colors around her.<p>

"kura...Sakura...SAKURA!"

The word slowly sunk into her mind and reminded her of her identity. The blurred colors around her seemed more refined now. She was able to make out eyes. Two onyx familiar eyes and inky black hair that hung around a pale face. Her heart thumped within her chest, threatening to escape. Her body jerked forward, arms stretched to wrap around the muscular figure. Heated liquid spilled from her squeezed eyes as she clung tightly to the man. Her body crumbled into his and she choked out the word that she desperately held down.

"Sai..." She crooned into his neck, quivering from combination of emotions and hyperthermia. A shaky smile formed on her face. "I missed you Sai. I missed you so much." A sob escaped from her throat, interrupting her. "Where did you go? Why did you leave without telling me?" A mixture of relief and anger filled her. Sakura felt two strong hands grip her shoulders. They warmed her to the bone and the man pulled away from her.

"Sakura..."

There was pity in that voice and Sakura wasn't sure why. Sai was back, so why did he speak as if he had bad news to tell her? Sakura looked up into his eyes and froze. Her smile dropped and she didn't believe it was possible but her hope shattered into tiny fragments...again.

Her eyes deceived her and now with her fully focused vision, she looked into Sasukes eyes. Without acknowledging it, her eyes dripped with tears of another kind. Sakuras face distorted with pain.

"Why? Why didn't you let me die?" Sakura heaved as tremors moved throughout her body. She heard no response.

"WHY SASUKE?! WHY DO HATE ME SO MUCH THAT YOU COULDN'T LET ME DIE!?" Sakura began to pound on his chest. "Answer me DAMMIT!" She relentlessly struck him on his chest and shouted "why" with all the breath left in her lungs. Sasukes patience quickly wore thin.

He shook her violently scaring Sakura into stopping her actions. Sasuke looked deep into her eyes with wild hatred that she unknowingly whimpered. In a voice that would send the devil crawling back to hell, he told her,

"If everyone who lost their loved ones were as pathetic as you, I think the human race would be extinct."

A silence penetrated the forest before muffled sobs began to rise out of Sakuras chest. Sasuke shook her once again.

"Don't you dare cry!" He growled, his voice grating against her ears. She heeded to his instructions. Sakuras eyes were round, brimming with tears, making Sasuke sigh. He was supposed to be comforting and yet he was probably making her want to cry even more. Removing most of the malice from his voice, Sasuke started again with a new approach.

"If I...were to give up on life itself when my clan was killed, then I wouldn't have all I have today."

She sniffled. "Oh really? What do you have? You have no family, no friends and no future, all because you wanted revenge. And you still do. You're no different then me. You're just as pathetic, even more actually, since you hurt people instead ending it right then and there." Sakura spoke bitterly from experience.

Sasuke grimaced. "It's true that I have no family or friends. Im not sure of my future anyway but don't think what you were trying to do was any less than what I've done. Do you think that killing yourself wouldn't hurt the people around you? You have a family and friends that love you. Will you really take that for granted?"

Sakura returned a spiteful glare. "Says the one who has no family or friends. How would you know anything?"

"Exactly. I have nothing and yet I understand more about something I don't have." Sasuke paused thoughtfully before he spoke again. "Sai wouldn't want you to give up on everyone just for him."

Tears gathered in her eyes again. Sakura bared her teeth at him in an attempt to not cry. "You don't know what Sai would want. You never knew Sai as anything other than a replacement for you. You never tried to get to know him." Sakura said through her teeth.

"All I know about him is that he was and still is important to you. I also know that you must have meant a lot to him, so please Sakura. Don't do Sai wrong by hurting yourself. Didn't you say this yourself; to let regrets of the past go by forgiving yourself. What happened to Sai isn't your fault, so let it go. It will be hard. I know, but you have a family and friends and me."

Sakura stared into each of Sasukes eyes, searching for something. Maybe she was looking for honesty.

"Do you really mean that?" She whispered.

"Yes. Now please go home before your family realizes you're missing. You don't want to worry them."

Sakuras lips curved into a smile. "Alright."

Sasuke watched as she headed back, a small ray of hope in her heart. When she was a hundred meters away, Sasuke turned on his sharingan and watched her chakra fading further and further into the forest.

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><p>Sakura smiled to herself, her feet padding against the ground softly. She never imagined Sasuke to be this kind and to her especially. It wasn't long before she reached the walls of Konaha and a thought struck her.<p>

'Why didn't Sasuke come back with me?' She pondered about this until she came to a conclusion; He wasnt there for her but for something else. But what?

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><p>Sasuke landed in the forest clearing. Out from the shadows appeared three figures.<p>

"It took you long enough." A white-haired boy said, sipping yogurt from a bottle.

"Yea and who was that girl Sasuke? Was she your girlfriend?" A red-haired girl suggested, feeling the green monster inside her rage.

"Yah know there was no point in flirting with her if you didn't plan on fucking her." The white-haired boy said casually. He was immediately struck in the head by the red head.

"Shut up Suigetsu! Don't say things like that to Sasuke! He can do whatever he wants!" The violent girl yelled. Off to the side stood a tall boy, refraining from talking to observe his teammates. His eyes shifted from the bickering two to look at Sasuke who seemed somewhat distant.

"Sasuke..." The tall boy spoke. All eyes turned to him. "Is all well?" There was a pause. Before Sasuke could speak, he was interrupted.

"What were you doing with that chick? I think Karin might want to know. It seemed pretty intense." Suigetsu asked.

"Nothing." Sasuke said tersely.

"Then why was she leaning on you and crying? What is she to you?" Karin asked, her interest peaked.

Sasuke sent a glare in her direction, sending shivers up her spine. She looked down at the ground with guilt in her eyes since she upset Sasuke. Sasuke closed his eyes and placed a hand on his hip.

"She's just a foolish pest that I have to deal with. She's of no interest to me but a...friend of mine holds her dear to his heart so I had to do what I did." Sasuke put rather bluntly.

The tall man noticed the pause taken before Sasuke said friend. He took a step forward and locked eyes with Sasuke. "Who is this friend of yours?" Once again there was a pause.

"Jugo. Let's discuss what I've called you three here for." The air grew somber and the three waited for Sasuke to speak again. "On October 8, we intercept Danzo at the Samurai bridge and kill him."

"Haha! And how do you plan on doing that? Do you know how skilled the Anbu are that accompany Danzo? Do you know how skilled Danzo is himself?" Suigetsu protested loudly.

"I'm well aware of the conditions and thats why I called you three here. There will be weak Anbu that will attempt to kill us off first. The strong ones will stick by Danzo closely. You guys are to distract the weaker ones while I go for Danzo."

"I understand that we will get the underdogs to fight but you cannot handle Danzo and his elite Anbu by himself. Like you said, the stronger ones will stick by him." Jugo stated.

"Don't worry Jugo. All you need to know is that I wont be fighting alone and I have a trump card. Just follow my plans that I will tell you and this should go smoothly."

"So all we do is kill the weak Anbu and that's it?" Karin asked.

"There will be more details but yes. That is the general idea." Sasuke let out a silent sigh. "No one should be left alive. No witnesses, no problems. The last thing we need is for the Leaf to interfere. Got it?"

They all nodded except for Jugo.

"Sasuke?" Jugo said with a doubt lingering in his voice. Sasuke looked over to him. "We complete this mission. We kill Danzo. Then what? What happens after this?"

Sasuke stared deep into those yearning eyes that sought companionship. " You will come to know of this later. For now, just focus on what I tell you."

Sasuke began to recite the details of the mission that he memorized from a certain masked man. Jugo couldn't help but feel a ominous wave gurgling inside the pit of his stomach. Jugo looked up into the trees and felt the slumbering birds presence. If only he could free himself and fly free like them.

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><p><strong>aturtlefromindia- Being a student is really taking away my time from this story, so I will update inconsistently. Bare with me. I promise I won't give up on this story. Enjoy :D<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Aturtlefromindia**-Hope you guys like this chapter. :)

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><p>The clouds moved lazily through that ocean of blue. They swirled and curled over slowly, rolling out in those hazy skies. Kiba felt the grass wriggled between his fingers to sway with the wind. The earthy smell rose and permeated his clothes. Sweet warm air ruffled his hair and caressed his skin.<p>

This moment was perfect. Not only because of the weather, but who Kiba was spending this moment with. Kiba turned his gaze from the clouds to his object of adoration. That mop of blonde returned to its longish-familiar form. His body lay flat on the grass, so close to Kibas that it sent fuzzy sensations in Kibas chest. One arm of the blonde was tucked cozily behind his head and the other lay neatly on his belly. Kibas eyes roamed over this picture of pure serenity. They roamed over those closed eyes, short lashes delicately brushing his cheeks. That curved hill called a nose, that inhaled so softly it seemed as if he weren't breathing at all. Those pink, fleshy lips, that were slightly parted and a bit chapped but all the while a mesmerizing sight to see. That chest, rising and falling for each breath with a rhythm that matched the ticking of a clock. This moment was perfect.

"_Naruto." _Kiba breathed out so softly he didn't think that said man would hear; but regardless, he did hear. Eyelids moved away from each other to reveal a sea of blue, reflecting the clouds in those circular forms. Naruto swiveled his head to look at Kiba.

They observed one another. It was all they did until worry filled Kibas eyes.

"Naruto." Kiba whispered and continued to stare into those reflective blue eyes. He saw himself and the worry on his face, through Narutos eyes, an undisturbed body of water. Kiba closed his own dark eyes and slowly exhaled.

"Naruto." Kiba said again, this time a bit louder. Naruto waited patiently for the tattooed-faced boy to speak. Something inside Naruto made him think that Kibas worries revolved around Narutos missions the next day. Who could blame him? Although Kiba didnt know much about Narutos mission other than it was a S-rank mission, it was still something to worry about; for both Kiba and Naruto. It was as if Kiba understood the arduous aspects of tommorows mission without even knowing what Naruto was supposed to do.

Narutos mission was to accompany Danzo across the Samurai bridge but that wasn't the problem. In the mission scroll that Naruto received, it was said that the younger Uchiha might make an appearance. From this, Naruto concurred that Danzo knew the entire time of Sasukes plan for revenge. This is why Naruto was coming along. Danzo had set up this entire stage for his entertainment. Sasuke was supposed to be the tragic avenger who died in the hands of his closest friend, who is bound by his loyalty to his village. 'How pathetic.' Naruto thought. It was a ridiculous script and it didn't do anyone any good. If Danzo wanted to feel true angst, all he simply needed to was look back at his power-hungry life; Or maybe he could just look in the mirror. Either way, it would give him all the angst he needed. He wouldn't follow Danzos pathetic script anyway. Naruto would improvise.

Naruto stared at Kiba who tried to formulate his thoughts. To save Kiba from the trouble of saying burdensome words, Naruto placed his hand over Kibas hand and gripped it firmly. Kiba stared back with wide eyes, almost glassy-looking. He suddenly shut his eyes tightly, and turned his head, hiding his face from Naruto. From all the years Naruto knew Kiba, Naruto was aware of what the man was doing, or more accurately, was trying not to do.

Naruto used his other hand and cupped Kibas cheek, turning his face towards his own. Kibas eyes were still pinched shut yet moisture leaked out of them. Naruto pulled the man into his chest and held him close. Naruto felt knots forming in his chest as he began to feel the man in his arms tremble.

Kiba always had a great intuition. All Inuzaki did but Kibas was far greater. Whenever Kiba had a 'feeling' about something, it was more or less true, however, Naruto didn't want to believe that Kiba felt so strongly about this mission. Naruto hoped Kiba was wrong. The last time Kiba was so distraught about something was before Naruto went on the mission to kill an Akatsuki member. Naruto did complete his mission, but evidently, he lost Kurama and his voice that day. Naruto gripped Kiba harder as he heard a whimper coming from him. Naruto _really_ hoped that Kiba was wrong.

* * *

><p>Sasuke tapped his foot impatiently on the grassy field and searched for the others chakra signature with his Sharingan. It was half-past twelve and Naruto was to arrive for training at eleven. Naruto was never late. If anything, Naruto was here exactly on time or earlier. So what was taking him so long? Regardless, Sasuke only came to tell Naruto that he didn't want to train today. Tomorrow was the day of his mission and he needed to rest and prepare. Sasuke wanted to be fully rested when the time came. All Sasuke needed to do was convince Naruto that they didn't need to train today. To put it frankly, as easy as it sounded, it wasn't. Naruto had a keen eye and if he were to even suspect Sasuke, his plans were ruined. Another option that Sasuke didn't even want to think about was Naruto forcing him to train. It happened before and it happened quite violently. The last thing Sasuke needed was to be injured. If push comes to shove, then there was no choice but to fight. Sasuke stopped tapping his foot as he recognized the chakra signature coming towards him and turned off his sharingan.<p>

Naruto landed in front of him, crouched down, and he slowly straightened up. Their gazes locked.

"What took you so long?" Sasuke asked, his arms crossed.

'I was with Kiba.' Naruto mouthed, expressionless.

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow and frowned. "You do realize that you're an hour and a half late, right?"

'You don't think I know that?' Naruto replied with scowl.

Sasuke mentally smacked himself. It wouldn't serve his purpose to get on Narutos bad side. He immediately corrected himself. "You're right. It's just that this is your first time being late so I was thrown off. That's all." Sasuke searched Naruto for signs of defensiveness. It was still there. Still, Sasuke had to tell Naruto he didn't want to train today. Sasuke braced himself.

'I don't think we should train today.' Naruto mouthed causing Sasukes eyes to widen but he quickly regained his composure.

"Why not?" Sasuke had to ask.

Naruto stared at him until he looked away and shrugged. Sasuke couldnt believe that this was Naruto. Naruto had an answer for everything so why not now?

Naruto swiveled his head towards Sasuke. 'C'mon, let's get something to eat.' He turned on his heel and walk away from a dumbfounded Sasuke. Not only did Naruto blow off training but he invited Sasuke to eat lunch with him. Was this real life? Naruto stopped and half-turned.

'You coming or not?' Naruto mouthed before starting his trek to town once more. Sasuke snapped out of his trance and jogged towards Naruto. He slowed down at Narutos side and watched him from the corner of his eye, unaware that Naruto was doing the same.

* * *

><p>They walked towards the gates of Konaha, each holding a bag of steamy, to-go, boxed ramen. After dealing with Teuchis rambling, and Ayame trying to flirt with Naruto, they finally got their lunch. Instead of eating the ramen at the shop, Naruto knew of a better place to eat it, thus the one-hour long journey begun with growling stomachs. Sasuke looked up at the gates. 'Are we leaving?' Sasuke thought and decided he would ask this question to Naruto.<p>

'This way.' Naruto mouthed to Sasuke with his head down, deliberately not making eye contact with anyone. He took a left turn and Sasuke followed. They weaved through alleys and people, avoiding any eye contact possible. After a good thirty minutes, they finally stopped. Sasukes eyebrow twitched as he faced the Konaha wall. If this really was where Naruto intended to eat, then Sasuke was leaving. Without a notice, Naruto leaped into the air and landed on top of the 500 feet wall. Sasuke followed and landed next to Naruto. He straightened up, his mouth slightly agape from the sight.

They faced the forest. Trees seemed to layer trees, all following each other. As far as the horizon, there were trees of a dark spinach green. The birds perched themselves on these very trees and whistled songs that would enchant any heart. The wind was warm and smelled of the unique crispness that can only come from leaves.

Sasuke was impressed. He turned to express his attitude to Naruto but stopped as he saw the faintest smile on Narutos face. 'How long has it been since I've seen him smile?' Sasuke thought. He burned this image of Naruto into the back of his eyelids.

"The view here is nice, Naruto." Sasuke said, still watching him intently.

'It sure is...' Naruto barely moved his lips, and didn't bother to take his eyes off the forest. 'It feels like nothing can touch you here. Not even death.'

Sasuke observed Naruto and saw a deep sorrow in his eyes.

'Lets eat.' Narutos smile vanished as he abruptly sat down and commanded Sasuke too.

Sasuke followed the move, their legs hanging off the wall, and packaged ramen now placed on their laps. They ate in the sounds and melodies of the birds. Sasuke was able to finish his ramen within half an hour. He looked over at Naruto and saw how unusually slow he was eating.

"Naruto." Sasuke called. Naruto turned to him. "You're eating rather slow today."

'I'm just enjoying my ramen.' Naruto mouthed to him and took another slurp of the noodles, still looking directly at Sasuke. 'You never know if this might be your last ramen.' Naruto mouthed grimly.

Sasuke looked off into the trees that stretched for miles. "Theres a lot of things that you may never have again. A lot of things you may never get to do again. You just never know until you do those things for the last time." Sasuke turned back to see Naruto staring at him.

'Well said, Sasuke.' Naruto mouthed with a solemn look. Sasuke nodded at him and looked away. A moment later Sasuke heard a clink. It was Narutos bowl being placed on the wall.

'Sasuke.' Naruto gave him an indescribable look, one of knowing secrets. Sasuke waited. 'Remember to think thoroughly about the consequences of your actions.' His words seemed to match his look, hiding secrets beneath the context of his sentence.

"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke inquired.

Naruto sighed. 'I mean that there are some things that are worth their consequences and some that aren't. I just want you to prioritize those things by giving a second thought.'

The air between their gazes became heated and stifling. Slowly, Sasuke nodded to Naruto, who in turn continued to stare into those obsidian eyes until breaking away. Naruto looked at the trees and saw a yellow hue to them.

The sun was setting, altering the shades of reality and confusing the eyes of the naive. Naruto inhaled slowly. 'I think it's time to go...'

* * *

><p>Naruto allowed the moon to illuminate his room through the curtains. Weapons lay scattered all over his bed. Naruto took his time, organizing them into pouches and hidden slots in his Anbu outfit for the mission. He wasn't careful though, so one of the scalpel-like weapons slit his finger. Naruto stood from his bed and walked to the drawer and opened it for some bandages. His other hand dove in and didnt find the bandages but something he hadn't looked at in a while. He pulled the rectangular object out and inspected it in the dim light. It was a picture frame and it held a picture he used to dearly cherish. It was Sakura, Kakashi, Sasuke and himself, all posing after seeing that they were fit to be a team after all.<p>

Everyone changed so much...but not for the better. Naruto had heard of Sakuras attempted suicide from Tsunade. Pain spread through Naruto and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't rid himself of it. He killed Sai. He led Sakura to self-destruction and now he would atone for his mistakes. Tomorrow, he would pay for his wrong-doings.

Narutos eyes moved to Sasukes image. 'Foolish boy...He knows nothing...He sees nothing...'

* * *

><p>Sasuke sat on a chair in his bedroom. The time was coming. He would avenge his family. He would prove himself. He sat in darkness and let his mind go blank. All dues would be paid tomorrow.<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

**aturtlefromindia- It's amusing how you guys ask me questions about whats going to happen next. I just want you guys to know that this chapter is based off of the fight between Danzo and Sasuke in the manga so it will have references that you might not understand if you didn't read the manga, or watch the anime. Please do watch the episode or read the chapter or else you won't understand a few parts. Anyways, I absolutely adore you all for coming with me this far for my first story. Although this sounds like a farewell, I assure you it's not ,but we are nearing the end of this story. I won't tell you how many chapters are left but just know that this chapter is one of the last. Enjoy. :)**

* * *

><p>The journey was slow and filled with idle talk. They passed the Samurai bridge, safe and sound, with no interruptions. It was strange and unanticipated. To think that there would be no intruders left Naruto more on edge than before. There had to be something. Sasuke wasn't the type to have cold feet all of a sudden.<p>

All kinds of thoughts rushed through Narutos mind. What if he was intercepted beforehand? What if he knew his plan was known by Danzo and he fled to kill him another time? What if Sasuke thought this over and decided against killing Danzo for a better future? What if Sasuke stayed back to welcome Naruto home to confirm his stay at the village? What if he wanted to be a part of team seven again and they three could talk like old times? What if...?

Narutos pleasant thoughts were interrupted as Danzo spoke in a low voice.

"I've decided that we won't continue to the Land of the Mist. We are to go back to the village now."

Naruto walked in front of Danzo, down a long corridor. On his sides were a few new members of the foundation and behind him was a single man Naruto came to know as Shade. As foundation members, no once knew anyones name other than the code name they were given.

They followed the light that filtered down the stairs and reached the surrounding trees. They scanned the area and weren't surprised to see a intruders a few kilometers ahead.

"Naruto," Danzo called, " take care of our guests."

Narutos eyes widened . This wasn't what was supposed to happen. Naruto was to accompany Danzo to the Samurai bridge, not stay behind to fight Sasukes distractions. Danzo wove around the still-standing Naruto and continued at a leisurely pace. Naruto shared a look with Shade; one of confusion from Naruto and one of fear from Shade.

Quickly, Naruto composed himself. He bounced and darted from branch to branch. He would take care of these distractions quickly. In no time, he reached his "guests".

Two males, one tall and the other had a large sword as if to make up for his height, stood expectantly for Naruto. The armed one frowned.

"Ehhhhhhh?! The geezer only sent one? I would've at least thought he would think of us as more of a threat. We could take this flimsy chicken wing any day. He should've sent a couple hundred of this guy." The sword boy smacked his hand against his forehead dramatically and sighed. "At least we can take that frustration out on chicken wing over here." His facial features calmed drastically. "Let's see what he's got. How about it, Juugo?"

The tall man addressed as Juugo said nothing, but stared down the Anbu in front of him. He sensed hidden power, and unlike his partner, he saw that beneath the thin black fabric, was a man of sinewy muscles.

Juugo felt strange. He was confused about the man before him and if he had more time, he would have liked to study him a bit more; however, the Anbu darted to strike them down because little did they know, the Anbu wanted to get this over with.

* * *

><p>Danzo took small steps, hearing the clunk of his wooden sandals on the stone bridge.<p>

Sasuke stood there, in plain sight, waiting dead-smack in the middle of the bridge. Behind Sasuke was Danzos ultimate goal, Madara; lounging on the top of a beam and lazily rolling his eyes on Danzos figure. There was another figure, a woman that peeked behind a pole, watching Sasuke intently.

Sasuke made the first move. His decieving shurikens flew straight into his targets. The Anbu beside and behind Danzo dropped like flies. It was almost too easy, which made Sasuke grimace.

"They were new, weren't they?"

There was a pause before Danzo spoke. "Is that what you wish to speak to me about?"

Sasuke seethed as he realized Danzo knew of his plans. It explained why he brought such weak Anbu to defend him so he could fight Sasuke alone and not be accountable for their deaths.

"Does human life mean nothing to you?"

Danzo released a sigh. "Once again I must ask, is this what you wish to speak to me about?"

Sasukes fist tightened and his bangs slowly covered his eyes as he lowered his head. Behind him, the woman clung to the pole desperately yet silently watched with a twisted face.

"You bastard. All you ever do is sacrifice human life for your own. So tell me... Is it true? Is that story about Itachi true? Is he another pawn to sacrifice for your own gain?"

A long pause overtook the situation. It filled the air with intensifying emotions and held breaths. Finally, Danzo spoke.

"Itachi did everything for his village with his free will. He believed in protecting his village and it's people. Never, was he forced to do something he didn't want to do."

"You're not answering my question." Sasuke said, his eyes fixated on Danzo. He slowly swaggered forward, putting Danzo on alert.

Danzo released that bandages on his arm, his arm bulged and pulsated with multiple sharingan. An aching hatred bubbled within Sasuke and he stopped in his tracks.

"How many Uchiha did you kill to acquire that arm?" Sasuke asked in low voice.

"I did nothing of the sort."

"Right. All you did was take advantage of that night. All you do is take advantage of other people's situation, like Itachi."

Danzo looked away from Sasuke to look at the man above them. Madara watched like this were all a show. "You can never match up to Itachi. You are just a fraction of the man he is. Keep that in mind, Sasuke." Danzo said as he continued to stare at Madara. The reaction he received from Sasuke was just what he wanted. He needed to end this quickly. He needed to get to his real target and eliminate this threat to the village named Madara. Sasuke took the bait and the battle began.

* * *

><p>Naruto heaved, his body was wrecked with shudders and pains. His body shook as he couched violently, blood splattering on the forest floor. He clutched tightly to the wound in his abdomen. That tall man sliced him but not so deeply. Naruto hobbled to the bridge.<p>

He had to reach there before Danzo could do something to Sasuke. He had to and he did, but what he saw paralyzed him.

Danzo stood, holding a red-haired woman in his grasp. She looked woefully at Sasuke who in turn said to her, "Karen, don't move." Her face lit up with hope.

Sasuke plunged right through her with his chidori spear. It was quick, brutal and disappointing to Naruto. Sasukes teammates must mean nothing to him. Karen slid from Danzos grasp onto the floor. It seemed as if the jutsu had no affect on Danzo. He remained untouched. Naruto remained mesmerized by the girl who slowly slid her eyes close.

He tore his eyes away from her to train his eyes on Danzo, who performed seals and transported somewhere else. Naruto immediately felt his presence behind him. An arm forced Naruto into a headlock and Naruto struggled in pain. 'Foolish man. The same trick never works twice.' Naruto thought.

"Sasuke. Tell me. Will you sacrifice human lives just as I did? That makes you no different than me." Naruto could hear the desperation in Danzos voice.

Cold eyes looked upon Naruto. Sasuke slowly raised his electrically charged hand. Naruto struggled but Danzo held him in place. Narutos mask was still on. Sasuke had no idea how Narutos mask looked like. To Sasuke, Danzo was just using another Anbu as a shield. It never struck Naruto that Sasuke wouldn't be able to recognize him. 'Fuck."

If only Naruto could scream, yell, shout, or speak. If only he had his voice. If only fate didn't play wicked games with him. If only Sasuke wasn't so hell-bent on revenge.

The lightening spear went right through him, widening Narutos eyes but not leaving a single scratch on Danzo. Naruto followed the same path as the girl and slid to the floor. He heard indiscrete talking and craned his neck.

Danzo was batting Sasuke around like a toy. Naruto could see that Sasukes hand was still charged with lightening. 'Third times the charm.' Naruto thought and he halled himself up. Using a bit of his remaining chakra, Naruto transported himself into the bashing and caught Sasuke from behind. Naruto saw the shock on Sasukes face as Naruto grabbed the arm with the charged hand. Naruto closed his eyes and predicted Danzos next movement.

It was a split-second before Danzo could land his finishing blow, but before that Naruto had both his and Sasukes arm deep in his abdominal cavity. Their arms appeared on the other side of Danzos body, coated with blood. Danzo stared with bulging eyes at Naruto. He looked past the mask and stared into those pained blue eyes. Naruto pulled both their arms out of Danzo and he stumbled back before falling down. Naruto sat, his legs numbly outstretched, gasping in heaping amounts of air. Sasuke rapidly turned to see who saved him and still gave Naruto a look of unfamiliarity.

Naruto ignored him and stared at the dying man in front of him that stared back at Naruto.

"Your actions today have caused the downfall of Konaha. All I've done to preserve this village, you've ruin within an instant. You... are a fool." Danzo sucked in his remaining breath of air. " I won't let you leave. To protect this village... you must die."

Blackness spewed out of Danzo and the masked man finally spoke.

"SASUKE. Get out. Now."

Sasuke quickly took backward leaps. Naruto used his remaining energy not to back away from the blackness that was about to reach his legs, but to jump over Danzo and pull the red-haired woman out of range.

Naruto just made it, as Danzo exploded in a blinding light, clutching firmly to the woman. His cape wasn't as lucky to leave untouched. It caught fire easily and reached Narutos neck. Naruto and Karen fell harshly, causing Narutos mask to crack in half, and a corner piece to fall off completely. Naruto rid himself of his burning cape with all his effort and lay down on his front. He could feel the darkness tease him around his eyes. Blood pooled beneath him. Naruto turned his head to see that Karen had made it as safely as she could. Without his consent, his eyes slid shut.

* * *

><p>Back at the village, word of Sasuke leaving the village reached Tsunade. She created teams that consisted of Kiba, Shikamaru, Kakashi, and Sakura and sent them out to retrieve Sasuke.<p>

Sakuras mind was swarmed with memories of before. She thought of how Naruto wasnt able to save Sasuke before and wondered if they could do so now. That had to or else she simply couldn't live with herself. Sasuke was there in her time of need, so Sakura would do whatever it took to please Sasuke, even if it meant leaving her village behind.


	18. Chapter 18

Sakura brushed upon a nuisance that she easily got rid of. Slowly, she dragged the men behind some bushes. Heaving, her eyes darted around the forest in search of any onlookers. Letting out a small breath, she looked down at an unconscious Kiba, remembering what he said before they left for the mission.

* * *

><p><em>Around their faces hung with a sort of gloom that writhed and festered in their jaws. Forming a circle, some sitting and some standing, they looked hesitantly at each other. Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Neji, Lee, Tenten, Hinata, Shino, Kiba, and Sakura, respectively, looked everwhere else but each others faces. A mass formed in their throats and slithered up and down, blocking their right to speak. Shikamaru achingly swallowed that mound. <em>

_ "You can't do that Kiba. We've seen what he can do. You can't be the one to kill him"_

_Kibas head shot up and his dead eyes incinerated what was left of Shikamarus hope. "There's no way anyone else can do it."_

_Shikamaru looked worriedly at Kiba, while Kiba, in turn, glared needles into Shikamaru. There was a pity that loomed around the young adults waistlines, scrunching and conflicting with their full stomachs. It felt as if there was much to be said but no one dared to make a sound, a comment, an objection. _

_Sakura parted her lips, as if to utter what everybody was thinking, but another voice beat her to it._

_"What Shikamaru means is not that you won't kill him, but that you can't. You witnessed it for yourself. He's stronger than you. He's too far gone and it's obvious that this time he won't hesitate to cut your throat." All eyes landed on Shino. Kibas eyes grew considerably big, as he searched his best friends eyes for his true meaning, before they returned to its half-lidded state. _

_Silence permeated between the group as Kiba and Shino had a showdown with their eyes._

_"Watch me." Kiba looked them all over once before he turned on his heel and stalked off._

_The group remained silent, left to their own thoughts until Shikamaru spoke up._

_"We can't let him be an idiot and get himself killed." The words traveled around theirs heads and urged an answer that no was willing to give. It prompted a compromise, a sacrifice, so Sakura took her chance._

_'I'll do it." Some turned their heads up as they heard her soft words while others remained oblivious, still staring into nothing. Sakura cleared her throat. "I'll be the one to kill Sasuke." Here she caught everyone's attention. "If this burden should be given to anyone, it should be me. He's my teammate...and I think we can all agree that Naruto has many burdens to deal with himself, so if there should be someone that has to kill him, it should be me." _

_Ino looked at her long-time friend with doubt, while the rest looked with agreement. When no one spoke, Sakura considered this to be their final decision. She gulped the mound that still bobbed within her throat, and with that they all dispersed._

* * *

><p>Sakura pounced on the branches and silently asked Kiba for his forgiveness. When she figured that she had enough apologizing done in her head, she molded her face into an unreadable stone. In time, Kakashi would chance upon Kiba and Shikamaru behind the bushes, but by then she would have already killed Sasuke...or at least she hoped so.<p>

* * *

><p>Sasuke wavered between the spinning world. Swirling into one, his vision cleared and in his path lay two figures across a large crater in the bridge. His vision focused and he recognized them as the anbu and Karin. Sasuke steadied his legs and figured he may as well know who the traitor was that helped him kill Danzo. The corner of his lip curved into a smirk as he thought of Danzos disloyal followers. It was such a shame that even Danzo couldn't prevent something so simple as a breach in his own unit. Sasuke took off in one great swoop and landed a meter before the anbu. Walking slowly, his shoes tapping against the stone, he stopped before the face-down anbu. His foot made a small squelch as it stepped into the growing puddle of blood around the anbu. He couldn't suppress the smirk that was present on his face as he stared down at the anbu that betrayed Danzo so easily. To 'honor' the anbu , Sasuke decided he would grace him by committing his face to memory as the traitorous anbu.<p>

He pressed his shoes to the anbus side, and lazily rolled him over. Sasukes smirked curled even more as he saw the broken mask. It was an even better symbol of how he wasn't fully commited to Danzo. Sasuke slowly scanned his features and noticed a strong body beneath him. He took in the gaping hole in his abdomen and marveled at his own jutsu. His eyes travelled, from his toned abs to his shut eye. The anbu had a tan complexion. The eye showed little signs of aging so Sasuke figured the member to be of young age. He let out a sigh before crouching down. Sasuke was sure that he would have friends with a strong shinobi like him.

Sasukes hand hovered over the mask before gripping it by the edges of the side. The mask came off easily. The strings were loose behind the anbus head. Sasuke pulled the mask off gently and gradually.

"SASUKE!"

Sasuke paused his actions and inwardly growled. He recognized that whiny voice. Sasuke placed the mask carefully back onto the anbus face. He would look at him later. Right now, he would deal with a pest.

Sasuke took his time rising. He knew that if he rose too quickly his vision would blur. He could feel the intensity inside the girl behind him increasing, as Sasuke turned around and locked eyes with those green stones. Sasuke registered her stance as defensive which was unexpected because he would at least expect her to attack him, considering he committed the crime of killing a Konaha official.

Sakura looked at Sasuke steadily, with a determination that stunned her. "Sasuke." She repeated again, but this time to acknowledge his attention to her. "Do you remember... when we talked about revenge. When we talked about making peace with ourselves. Its not too late. You can turn around and come back to Konaha with me. We could be like team 7 again. All you have to do is come back with me without any resistance."

A smirked pulled on Sasukes lips, but he resisted the urge to laugh in her face. "Don't worry about me Sakura. This has nothing to do with you."

Panic scattered her brain. "I can't help but worry about you Sasuke! Naruto needs you! I need you... When are you going to realize that if you don't turn back now, you'll just hurt us and we'll be forced to kill you! Just come back with me. Nothing bad will happen to you. I promise..."

Sasuke really fought the urge to laugh in her face. He really did but a smirk remained plastered on his face, threatening to burst into laughter. "Are you sure you can keep your promise...Sakura?"

Confusion raced through her features. "What?"

"Can you really protect me? Can you really make sure nothing will happen to me if I make it back to the village? Do you know what I've done?"

A desperate smile formed on Sakuras face. "Whatever you've done can't be so bad. I'm sure that if I talk to Lady Tsuna.."

"I killed a Konoha official." Sasuke interrupted her. "And its not just anyone, its Danzo."

Sakuras mouth hung open like a gaping fish. Her mouth moved and she struggled to say something but she didn't find the right words to say.

Sasuke decided to speak for her. "And let's say that if you did somehow manage to convince Tsunade that I'm innocent, how is she going to convince the elders? I would be hanged for sure, all because you said that I would be safe . You said you could keep me safe." Sasuke felt like laughter was about to implode within his chest right there as he stared into the helpless expression Sakura wore. "Besides, you and Naruto would be fine without me. You've done it before and you could do it again."

Sakura stammered. "Don't you remember when I said you should make peace. Leaving won't get you peace! All you're doing now is the same as before. You're trying to get revenge for something that should have been long forgotten!"

"Foolish Sakura. I already have peace. I have forgiven myself and my path is clear. I know what I am seeking. Before I left for silly reasons but now I know the truth. I'm not seeking vengeance; I'm seeking justice. If you and Naruto can't see that then you have to get out my way."

"Sasuke, if you even try to leave, I will be forced to kill you!" Sakura shouted with all her breath.

Sasukes mocking expression morphed into a somber glare. "What makes you think you could even lay a scratch on me? My eyes can see right through you and right now I see the same weak girl I saw eight years ago that just couldn't get over me." Sasuke watched as Sakuras resolve deteriorated. Humorous thoughts roamed in his mind about how he should toy with her. "I knew you never loved Sai. He was just a replacement for me. If you really want my approval for something then come here. Join me. We could get justice together."

Conflicting emotions flashed across her face like lightning before she placed one foot in front of the other, and made her way toward Sasuke.

He turned his back to her and walked around the anbu to Karin. Sakura followed and couldn't help but feel that the anbu looked strangely familiar. She ignored the feeling and walked to the red-haired girl. Sakura noted that they both suffered the same wound, a strike to the abdomen. She stood, towering over the girl that looked up at her with sorrow-filled eyes, while Sasuke faced her, watching her.

"Kill her." Sasuke said tersely.

Sakuras eyes widened.

"I can only trust you if I know that you're on my side." Sasuke explained, beginning to circle her like a vulture.

A kunai appeared from Sakuras cape. She held tightly onto it, looking into the girls eyes. She knew that if she just killed Sasuke now, it would all be over. She promised to have this burden, and she would keep this promise. She tried to reason with him, but to no avail. She made her ultimatum, but not soon enough.

Sasuke had charged his chidori behind her, as she thought the situation through. He would've killed her swiftly, without effort, if it hadn't been for Kakashi. The man quickly diverted Sasukes attack and kicked him for good measure, as Sakura turned around with betrayal in her eyes.

"Sakura... You shouldn't have come here alone." Kakashi stated, causing Sakura to lower her head. "But I admire your courage." Sakuras head perked up immediately. "You had the strength to try something that I should've taken care of long ago. Something I shouldn't have overlooked because of mere hope. I should've ended this a long time ago, as my responsibility as a teacher." Kakashi placed a hand on his head protector and raised it, revealing a lazily, swirling sharingan.

Kakashi stared intensly at Sasuke who gave a dull expression back. "Kakashi." Sasuke drawled out. "Stop acting like you're still my sensei and realize this. You're lucky that someone with blood as filthy as yours can obtain the sharingan but your is no match compared to mine. Having the blood of an Uchiha gives you powers and makes you a God. You're just a pathetic imitator. In fact, I think I might just take back that stolen sharingan of yours." Sasuke uttered with enough spite to send all the demons crawling back into the pit of hell.

"I should've saved you when you had all that hate inside of you. I should have taken it out of you. I'll make up for that now. Now, I'll save you Sasuke." Kakashi spoke in a deep throaty voice. "Sakura. Heal the anbu first and then the girl later. She could be useful for intel."

"Yes Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said, surprised that he requested for the anbu to be healed first, but then again, nobody except Kakashi knew anbu members.

Sasuke frowned as Sakura began to heal the anbu with glowing green chakra. "Kakashi... I'll say this one more time, stop acting like you're my sensei." Sasuke waved his hand over his arm that had a sealing jutsu on it and poofed up shurikens. He projected the weapons on Kakashi but it led a curved path toward Sakura. Kakashi predicted this move and didn't dodge, instead formulated a jutsu to create a wall that the weapons would strike.

They jumped in the air simultaneously, and landed blows on each other that would be blocked, causing them to land on the water below the bridge.

"I'll show you. I'll show you just how limited your sharingan really is." Chakra whirled around Sasuke and formed a being that resembled a long-nosed spirit.

Kakashis eyes widened as the spirit began to form a powerful disc of chakra that was clearly to be thrown at him. Kakashi knew it would take up a lot of chakra but he had to risk it.

The disc was thrown but Kakashi activated Kumui, sending it off into another dimension. This left a relatively impressed Sasuke. He opened his mouth to say some snarky remark but was stopped when his eyes had a sharp pain. Sasuke screeched, the pain tearing his insides apart and the spirit dissolving layer by layer until there was nothing left. Accompanying the blood that was already leaking down his eye, more blood traveled in a stream down his left eye. Kakashi watched as the young Uchiha struggled with himself. 'He's burning out.'

* * *

><p>Sakuras vision blurred, then cleared as the droplet left her eye, the blurred once again, the cycle repeating itself, as she healed the red-haired girl. She felt like she had to do something, anything to better this situation. Sakura took her glowing hands off the girl and stood up. She did what Kakashi asked of her. She healed the anbu and then the red-haired girl. Now Sakura was going to fix this, to take this burden upon herself. Sakura pulled out the kunai, laced with poison, and leapt into the arch of the bridge, hanging upside down. She would kill him, right into his back. She thought of this over and over as she ran towards his hunched over figure. He seemed to be clutching his eye, distracted and vulnerable. She could do it. She would do it.<p>

"Sakura, NO!" Kakashi yelled. Sakura was right-side up again and so close. She was so close to him. Her kunai extended and she was so close. She lunged but her body moved and stopped on its own accord. She didn't do it. He didn't hesitate.

Sasuke grabbed her own knife and attempted to strike her but a golden flash swept her away but Sasuke was able to stare into the eyes of Sakuras savior; Sasuke visibly tensed. Sasuke stood in the shadow of the bridge and watched as he placed Sakura neatly on the waters surface. His tan cheek was marred by a cut that went against the whiskers on his face. Gradually, that sinewy body he was observing not long ago rose to turn around and fix those deep blue eyes onto his depthless black eyes.

It was him the entire time. There was a large dark stain on the front of his uniform that could only be blood and Sasuke suddenly knew. He had pierced him. Sasuke hadn't bothered to pull him away from Danzo before he exploded. Sasuke had turned him over with his foot with the most disrespect that could be conjured. It was Naruto the entire time and Sasuke had no clue.

"Naruto..." Sakura breathed out, just as surprised as Sasuke. Kakashi remained ever so vigilant.

Sakura stood up in a flash. "He killed Danzo and he wont come back with us. Naru.." She would've continued if it hadn't been for a hand that Naruto raised to tell her to stop. He half-turned his head and nodded to her, as if saying that he knew. Sakura pondered this and only came up with one rationality.

"You were conscious the entire time? You heard everything he said?"

Naruto nodded to this too and mouthed three words to her. Sakura easily read this and made a face like she had been hit in the head with a hammer. Sasuke caught these words and was thrown off.

"What do you mean 'it was stupid'?" Sasuke asked, hiding his slightly offended tone with malice. "What about what I said was stupid?"

Naruto ignored Sasuke and turned to Kakashi. 'I need you to take Sakura and go.'

Kakashi frowned. "I'm sorry Naruto but I can't let you have this burden. It's my responsibility and you must honor it."

Naruto searched Kakashis eyes and nodded slowly but reassuringly. He turned around and held Sakuras hand telling her to go with him. Naruto was about to leave with Sakura when he heard a low chuckle. That chuckle transformed into something louder and louder until it was a full-blown maniacal laugh. Naruto averted his attention to Sasuke who had his head thrown back and emitted the laughter. With a raspy gasp of air, the sinister smile disappeared from Sasukes face and his head returned to its upright position, looking mercilessly at Naruto.

"So this is what you meant, huh?" Sasuke started in a low baritone voice. "This is the consequence of my action that I didn't give a second thought to. Right? You will just leave me. You wont even bother with me anymore right? I'm not worth the effort,_ right_? You can go just back to Kiba and forget all about me, RIGHT? " Sasukes voice gradually rose until his voice began to echo off the top of the bridge.

Naruto felt Sakura cringe at Sasukes reaction and Naruto gave her hand a little reassuring squeeze before releasing it. He looked into Sasukes wide eyes that urged for Naruto to answer him. Naruto didn't buy into his teasing and he simply looked away towards the bridge, and wondered if the red-haired girl was alright. This sent Sasuke off the rails.

"Answer me DAMMIT! WHY DID YOU HELP ME? WHY WOULD YOU RISK IT ALL FOR ME? WHY WOULD YOU DO ALL THIS, THEN NOT ANSWER ME? Damn NARUTO, I'm asking you something! Why do all this if you won't tell me the reason why? Tell me!"

Naruto saw from his peripheral vision that Kakashi and Sakura were visibly shaken from Sasukes change in attitude. Naruto kept himself motionless. He took a slow, even breath through his nose and released it from his parted lips. Naruto relaxed his fist into curled digits before answering.

'Because you're my friend.'

Sasukes breath hitched, his body cringing at those words. The aura Naruto radiated was nebulous, causing Sasuke to bite his lower lip slightly. His eyes narrowed, searing his irritation, confusion, and desire into Naruto.

"Sasuke. Don't you think it's time to go?" A voice behind Sasuke spoke. A figure materialized behind Sasuke, turning solid, then having it's details outlined until Naruto recognized the despicable man. Naruto grinded his teeth.

"Madara..." Kakashi vocalized under his breath.

Sasuke disregarded the masked man, his attention entirely on Naruto. "Come with me." Sasuke leaned forward, staring intently at Naruto as if it would get him to follow Sasukes command. "We share the same goals, the same interests. You know what will happen to you if you go back to Konoha. Leave everything behind, and come with me."

Naruto furrowed his brow into a pitiful look. He shook his head no, sparing no words for Sasuke.

Sasuke bared his teeth. "Why not? There's nothing left for you at the Leaf. You know the consequences. Just come with me and I can keep you safe. You hate the villagers just as much as I do. I saw it that day we bought clothes. They didn't only despise me. The way they looked at you. You know you have nothing they can offer us. It worthless to sacrifice yourself for a village that will shun you."

He waited for a reply but Naruto remained as imposing as ever. Sasuke looked baffled at his inability to respond to Sasukes offer.

"It's pointless to change his mind. He's stuck on his decision. Let's go." The mask-man spoke up.

"No." Sasuke said firmly. "I'm not leaving without Naruto."

Naruto lowered his head, exhausted by Sasuke. He closed his eyes and forced himself to not respond to the dark-haired boy. It was too late to save him. Sasuke wasn't going to be saved this time by words. Narutos train of thought was interrupted by the sound of many chirping birds, but he knew that it was more than that. He looked up to see Sasukes hand, preparing a chidori.

"If you're not coming with me, then I'll just have to make you!" Sasuke shouted, then sped towards Naruto. Naruto made his own rasengan in time and darted in Sasukes direction. Kakashi and Sakura yelled Narutos name, but the sounds were drowned when their jutsus collided, into a cataclysmic swirl. Whiteness enveloped both Naruto and Sasuke, sending them into a dream-like realm. They stood opposite of each other.

Naruto took one step...then another, making his way to Sasuke as slowly as someone walking on ice. It felt like an eternity passed by the time they looked, eye to eye, from a distance no more than a foot. Sasuke questioningly looked into those blue eyes that looked back with indifference.

The black material that covered Narutos arms stretched as he encircled Sasukes shoulders, pulling him towards himself. Sasukes heart felt like it was fluctuating as Naruto tightened his grip, pressing their chests together. Sasuke stood stiffly, and looked past Narutos shoulders into the milky-whiteness that held them. He felt Naruto place his chin neatly on his shoulders, then steadily nuzzled his face into the nape of Sasukes neck. Sasuke stood there, awkwardly standing as Naruto embraced him, before feeling his shoulders relax. His arms moved, his hands cringing then relaxing and repeating the motion a few times before they hovered over Narutos back. Those hands cautiously pressed against Narutos back, staying there for a moment as if testing to see if they would be brushed away. Then when he felt reassured, all the cautious movements were thrown out the window.

Sasukes arm wrapped quickly and tightly around Narutos waist, holding onto him for dear life. Warmth exchanged between them, soothing their muscles and shutting their eyelids. Sasuke let out a slow breath of air.

"Naruto... Don't..."

He knew what this was. It wasn't just an embrace. It was a goodbye.

* * *

><p>Sakuras knees had tiny particles of dirt digging into her, as she healed an unconscious Naruto. Her kunai had caused him to pass out from the poison. She extracted the poison slowly from his bloodstream. When she scanned over his body one more time for the poison, she saw a movement from a distance. It was the red-haired girl, leaning against a tree, staring at her from a distance. Sakura looked over to Kiba, who sat next to her, watching over Naruto like the guardian angel he so desperately wanted to be. He said no words to Sakura, clearly upset that she knocked him unconscious and went alone. However, Sakura felt that it wasn't that she took his mission from him, but that she didn't complete the mission. Sakura couldn't kill Sasuke, and he got away, again.<p>

"What are you doing?" Kiba growled, causing Sakura to look up. He wasn't speaking to her, but to the red-haired girl who was suddenly in front of her, on Narutos other side. She was looking down at Naruto.

"His chakra...is orange...and warm. It's been so long since I've felt such warmth from someones chakra." She said.

Sakura and Kiba looked at her then down at Naruto, then back to her.

"But...theres a darkness...that shouldn't be there." She said in a low voice.

Sakura looked at Kiba, who was looking desperately at Naruto. There was a deep sorrow in Kiba that shattered Sakuras will to say something. The three sat there, not one saying another word.


	19. People Run In Circles

His cheek met the cold stone floor with dismay. Pants escaped through his mouth, his chest erratically rising and falling, but not to its maximum stretch due to the tight cloth that wrapped around his body and bonded his arms and legs uncomfortably. The cell smelt of drying blood, feces and a dampness that radiated from the walls.

His shadowed blue eyes looked dully at the scurrying rats that anxiously crossed back and forth in his cell. They squeezed through the bars, taunting him by doing something he couldn't. An orange light shined from somewhere in the room, recently placed there and allowing him to finally make sense of his surroundings.

How long had it been? For how long was he in this cell? How deep underground was he? A rat fidgeted on top of his hip. The crushing weight of his body caused his arm to become numb long ago. A clink came from the corner of the room. It was a jingling of metal. Keys. The opening of a door. Was it time? Was his mind to be invaded, once more, filled and emptied with unpleasantness? The man that took calculated steps towards him would know the answer. His cage opened.

"Get up." A firm voice commanded him. He made no move. Every move hurt. There was no point. A hand roughly grabbed his blonde locks, yanking him to a sitting position against the wall. He scrunched his eyes, bit his lips, his bruised body stung, recoiled, and burst with pain.

The mans breath hovered over his face. "Guess what. Tomorrow's the big day. The Elders order me to make you look presentable, so make this easy for yourself and just follow my instructions."

She confessed. The red-haired girl confessed. No wonder they weren't performing grueling jutsu on him like before. No wonder his time came so early. Using his shaky legs, he pushed against the wall, with the man assisting him, sliding up the wall to get up. The first few steps were hell, but numbing adrenaline navigated through him, easing his movement.

A cloth was pulled against his face, encasing him that darkness once more, gripping against his eyes to a pressured knot behind his head. The man held him from behind, leading him somewhere, another faraway room perhaps. He was led, shoved in a few directions, and from what he heard he went through a few doorways.

'My name is Naruto.' He reminded himself as they walked. He kept this piece of sanity with him as a hand roughly grabbed his upper arm, forcing him to halt. A thud sounded off behind him, and he recognized it to be the closing of a door. Others began to talk, a bit too loudly from his perspective. More hands began to handle him, like he were some vermin, like it pained them to touch him, like he were filthy. Of course, he knew that he was filthy, but he considered that to be their fault for not tending to his basic needs for the past... the past... For how long again?

Lost in his train of thought, he didn't acknowledge the men who removed the tight cloth from his body, some watching him carefully from a distance, to spread his arms on each side of his body and cuff it so his shoulders felt they would pop out of their socket any second. His ankles were tied to each other, the textured rope they used cutting into his skin. From a distance, he heard the sloshing of water, splashing onto the floor, and the scraping of wood on the floor. His mind was somewhat perplexed.

Someone brushed by him, causing the air to shift around him and he recognized one fact; he was naked. How did they take off his clothes? _When _did they take off his clothes? What new form of torture were they creating for him this time, even after the red-head decided to confess?

"Don't you think the water is a little too cold for him?" A whisper resonated through the silent room.

"Nahhhh." Another voice proclaimed loudly, knowing that there was no point in whispering. "He's from the Anbu. He can handle a little cold water."

Immediately following that statement, seemingly arctic water poured itself onto his head. He cringed but the restraints only allowed him to move so much. Shivers and chills overtook his spine, making him want to collapse onto himself. More buckets of water followed after, freezing him to his bones. The clinking of his teeth were the only noise throughout the room. His limbs trembled for warmth but was met with the cold, damp air that flashed on his skin like seething wind. His body was bombarded with frosty water until with a few mumbles, the torrent of water stopped.

He couldn't feel a thing as they wiped him down with sandpaper-like rags, which barely soaked off the water from his body. Even with his abused body, they still took precaution by tieing his hands and feet together. With the strength of two men, someone hauled him up onto their shoulder. The numbness began to wear off and he became aware of the fact that he was still naked, his head and limbs bobbing to the other mans movements.

Just as easily as he was picked up, he was plopped down ungracefully into a hard, wooden chair. He could feel his hands being yanked back and tied to the chair. The rope around his ankles were undone and a pair of pants were cumbersomely shuffled up his legs. They lifted his hips, allowing the hem of the pants to reach his waist, and buttoned it. His legs were then tied and his hands undone. A baggy shirt was pulled over his head, the person placing it on fumbled with his head, and just like the beginning, his entire body was wrapped around once more with the binding cloth. His blue eyes rolled lazily on the ground when they removed his blindfold, inspecting the litter and cockroaches that skittered past his bare feet.

"Here." A spoon was held before his lowered head, carrying a steaming slurp of ramen that made his stomach do somersaults. He recognized this soup, it's indistinct scent filled him with thoughts of a much care-free time. After a mission he would treat himself to this at Ichirakus, or he would be treated with mountains of ramen by his former sensei. Nostalgia formed frown lines on his face, since he knew he would never enjoy this treat ever again. He looked up at the owner of the hand that dared to feed him a delicacy. He knew that this man would be held liable if anything went wrong and yet he still chose to sneak in ramen.

His maddened blue eyes scanned over the others facial features. There was a softness in his eyes that felt even more tender with the hint of sorrow and alertness that came with being a shinobi.

"Lady Tsunade said to feed you this. We have to make you look somewhat presentable for tomorrow morning. You should really hurry up though, before the others come back." The man said to him as the man brought the spoon closer to his mouth. Naruto barely opened his cracked lips and slurped the heavenly warmth down his throat. The man went back into the bowl to get another spoonful and this time Naruto didn't hesitate to take in the liquid. The man took this as a sign of acceptance and began to talk.

"In the twenty-four years I've been here, I've never seen the Hokage be so kind to a prisoner, especially one who has been charged with a high degree of crime. Lady Tsunade must really think you're innocent." As the man spoke, Naruto recognized the voice as the one from before, that questioned the temperature of the water. Of course, this man was a loyal follower of Tsunade, otherwise he would never jeopardize his career to bring a bowl of ramen to a high-ranking criminal. Subconsciously, a sigh blew from Narutos lips as he concluded that Tsunade had no power in his situation. It was over. She wasn't able to help him.

The meal was finished too quickly for Narutos liking and like that, the man was done with his task and gone, leaving Naruto to himself. Although the man was gone, his words swam through Narutos mind like patient sharks waiting to tear something up.

_'We have to make you look somewhat presentable for tomorrow morning."_

_Presentable for tomorrow..._

_Tomorrow._

Damn. It was so soon. It was tomorrow.

* * *

><p>"What are you doing Sasuke?"<p>

Said man didn't answer, as he continued walking down the dimly lit corridor, ripping off the bandages from his face.

"Sasuke." Said a masked man more sternly. Sasuke stopped, pulling the last of his bandages slowly away, revealing lidded eyes. " Your eyes haven't healed completely yet. Now's not the time to be taking off those bandages." The masked man spoke once more.

"Doesn't matter. My eyes have healed enough. That's all I need for now." Sasuke retorted, eyes still closed.

The masked man easily read Sasukes hidden message. "What are you planning to do?"

As if awakening from a great sleep, Sasuke opened his eyes with as much speed as a sloth. His eternal mangekyo grazed upon the masked man menacingly. "With my new eyes, tomorrow, Konoha will burn, right down to each blade of grass."

"And how do you plan to do that? You can barely see beyond the dark fantasies that fog your minds vision."

A deep, sinister chuckle rose from the hollow cavity of Sasukes stomach.

"If there's one thing that you're good for, its the eyes you make to complement a sharingan-wielder."

"That doesn't answer my question." The masked man seemed to raise his voice.

The smirk vanish from Sasuke face, his eyes wide, melting two wells into the floor. With his rumbling, baritone voice, he mumbled, "These eyes can see fine in the darkness..."

* * *

><p>The birds chirped cheerfully, signaling the dawn of a new day. To Kiba, they mocked him, with scurrilous chirps. They scoffed at him, for being unable to save Naruto. They sneered at him, for only being able to watch the last-minute public execution that had Naruto as the guest-star. The entire village waited, unaware of what was about to take place in the large clearing of the forest. They murmured, ignorant to the senseless and unjust killing about to take place. Children ran circles around their parents, playing with their new toys, eyes too innocent for the eventful scene. Aunties gossiped about old stories like what the housewife did after her husband left. At least now they had a new subject for discussion and disapproving head nods. Yet, no one knew the truth. Not the shinobis nor the kunoichis, the Anbu nor the foundation, and ,hell, not even Kiba.<p>

But there were those who knew the false statements, and took either side. There were those that believed Naruto was guilty and those who believed the opposite. It was a shame that the latter were wrong, no matter how hard they wanted to believe it wasn't true. No matter how hard they tried to free Naruto, there was no evidence to prove otherwise, while there was a tipping pile of evidence that caused The Elders to subsequently point the finger at him. Danzos blood was found coating Narutos arm. All other witnesses were dead besides Karin and she cracked easily, revealing that it was _only _Naruto that killed Danzo. Although Kakashi and Sakuras testimony was heard, claiming that they knew it was Sasuke who killed Danzo despite not witnessing it themselves, The Elders disregarded their story, seeing it as their attempt to protect Naruto.

In front of the restless crowd, a small wooden stage was set up, about ten feet high, a large and sturdy beam to top it off. It was clear to Kiba what was happening, as he saw to the side the thick, intricately-woven rope that a shinobi held.

The roar of the crowd silenced abruptly, and Kiba glanced up to see Tsunade on the wooden stage. It was starting.

* * *

><p>Naruto could feel the tendrils of grass poking through his toes. His legs wobbled as he moved blindly. A bag was placed on his head, forcing him to rely on his transporters for directions. Narutos interest peaked as his feet felt a new, hard surface. The feel of deep groves and hollow thumps resonated through Naruto. He was led on a sharp, upward incline. His transporters stopped him as the wooden plane became leveled. The bag was suddenly torn off him, the blinding light stunning Naruto for a moment. He took a sharp intake of breath.<p>

Surrounding him were worried faces, scared faces, sorrow-filled faces, angered faces, familiar faces. His worn out blue eyes stayed a bit longer on broken brown ones. Naruto felt something tug at his lips, forcing them up. His eyebrows slightly furrowed, seeing the others dark expression of hopelessness. Naruto memorized every detail of his face. Those red, inverted triangles that covered his cheeks. The fuzz of brown hair that stuck up in the strangest places. His prominent and elongated jaw that had a darker shade as it was unshaven. His seldom agape mouth that was aching to say something. Under his eyes, swollen, pink crescents gave his face a sore look.

"Traitors should and **will** be punished." Naruto knew this voice to be of Homura Mitokado. A smile grazed Narutos face as he saw Kiba suddenly take on a look of distraught when he heard this. Naruto nodded softly to Kiba, conveying that it was alright. Kiba retaliated by shaking his head stiffly,mouthing "no" until he built up to vigorously shaking his head and shouting "no".

All heads of the crowd turned to Kiba, staring wide-eyed as Kiba grew violent. Homura nodded to the Anbu next to him. Two of them appeared at Kibas side, grabbing him as he flailed wildly.

Another two grabbed Narutos arm and brought him to the edge of the wooden stage. One of them grabbed the looped rope while the other held Narutos head down to place inside the loop.

Kibas screams reverberated through the clearing, causing the crowd to be unsure of what to watch. The Anbu dragged Kiba into the forest who was kicking his legs up and wrestling the two.

An Anbu pushed the knot of the rope down so it snuggly hugged Narutos neck. One of them took a step back and the other stood patiently behind Naruto. Naruto looked at Kiba, still smiling at his admirable retaliation. His hollow blue eyes then turned to the sky and saw the translucent moon peeking from behind the clouds to shine with the sun. It barely shined yet it still revealed itself. 'How noble." Naruto thought.

Kiba cursed, screamed, and would've woke the dead if he continued a bit longer but the harsh straining sound of rope invaded his ears and stopped him. The stressed wooden plank clanked under the pressure. The rope bobbed a few times before remaining still from the tension. The forest made no noise. The birds were silent. The leaves wouldn't rustle. The wind collapsed onto itself. Kiba opened his mouth wide.

"NARUTO!"

Kiba stared, shocked that his voice faltered. He couldn't scream. His voice seemed to die a long time ago. The call wasn't from Kiba, but from the two red orbs in the shadows of the forest. Blazing sharingans peered opposite from Kiba.

Kiba and Sasuke watched as the hanging and swaying figure's toes curled tightly before relaxing and remaining still.


	20. Finale

**aturtlefromindia- Thank you to everyone that's come this far for my first story on FF. Thank you very much. I appreciate your support. Once again, thanks. :)**

* * *

><p>'<em>Imagine yourself as a child,' Kurenai-sensai once said, 'and you're in the middle of a busy market, full of the salty smell of newly caught fish, and the greasy smoke from vendors to<em> _your sides. You can feel yourself being nudged in all directions as some people squeeze past each other. There are assertive shouts from the customers bargaining for better prices, distant and muddled, but shouts nonetheless. All this activity surrounds you but you are safe, the reason being that a stronger, bigger hand holds your tiny one. You feel safe because someone guides you through this market. Regardless of whom that hand belongs to, you trust it like a lifejacket that keeps you afloat. Then, without your consent, the hand lets go. It disappears into the blur of many people and you find yourself moving in circles searching for it. Your senses seem to sharpen and everything around you takes on a new light. The salty smell of fish stings all through your nostrils and into your lungs. The white smoke that rises from the vendors sifts through people, seemingly just to burn your eyes. This is what you blame your tears on rather than the absence of the hand. The shouts turn to screams and they blare into your eardrums, invading all thoughts, including the rational ones that you need in order to find the hand. The amount of people seem to multiply endlessly until all you see are shuffling feet. The people are now pushing you, shoving you, forcing you in every which way to go yet you don't fall or move anywhere because there are too many people and too little ground to fall or move on._

_You are lost. You are helpless. You are frustrated and certainly, you are crying. No one helps you. You are just a child and like a child, you are too small to be relevant or perceivable in the eyes of strangers. No one sees your pain, your angst, nor your pleas for help. All they see is your downcast head, hiding the tears that darken the floor in little spots._

_This is what it feels like to lose someone you love and it takes a very long time for you to realize that the comforting hand won't come back.'_

* * *

><p>He scratched his chestnut beard that grew on his jawline lightly, head craned slightly to the side, with his other hand on his hip. He looked down at the three stones piled on top of each other, laying in front of a small willow tree. His back was to an awe-inspiring sunset, the shades of blue, purple and pink melting into a blissful concoction. He took a few steps backwards from the stones, turning his head behind him to make sure he didn't fall off the precipice-that merged with the sunset-to his watery doom. In one fluid motion, he ran his hand through his long, slicked-back hair and plopped down in a legs-crossed fashion. He released the breath that he was holding, lifting his bent leg to become perpendicular to his other one. Leaning forward, he carefully placed his chin on his knee as to not disturbed his pointed beard and hugged his propped-up leg. Taking a few more moments to stare at the few stones and the grass it sat upon, he finally spoke.<p>

"It's been two months, thirteen days, and four hours since I've last visited." He let out a small sigh. "Sorry for taking so long. You know how it goes with all these plans we have to do. If I had anything else to do you know I would rather do that than to deal with all the nose-high-in-the-air bastards that I have to work with." Running a hand through his hair, he chuckled softly, his baritone voice crackling with each syllable. "I'm sure you can tell which one I'm talking about in particular. Anyway, hows it going? I haven't been able to have any downtime to ask you. I'm sure you're doing fine. Hell, I'm sure you're doing awesome! Wherever you are, you must be making the best of it. Ain't I right, Naruto?" He closed his eyes, and listened to the sounds of the crashing waves that crawled up the precipice behind him. The water seemed to reclined into the rocky terrain, edging up as if trying to consume the land itself. "I'm doing fine too." He breathed out softly. "Thanks for asking."

He lie his tattooed cheek upon his knee, whilst still keeping the stones in vision. He allowed the sound of waves lull him into a trance. Everything seemed preserved at this moment and he would have wished to keep it this way but deep voice pulled him from his fantasy.

"Are you finished? If you are then let's go."

The tattooed man ignored the figure that somehow appeared beside him. Instead, he lulled himself back to the trance he was in before but now with his head turned directly to the stones.

"Kiba, let's get going, now." The voice stressed the last syllable, making Kiba groan internally. He craned his neck to see his grouchy partner in crime.

His thick, inky hair fluttered like feathers in the breeze, dusting his jaw. His bangs were shifted to one side only, making him terribly identical to Madara. His shadowless eyes were scrolled down to the stones, making all the effort unlike his head, which seemed too high to lower.

Kiba leaned back, placing his palms behind him, arching his back and stretching his lithe body. His open shirt peeled back, showcasing an impressively defined set of muscles with a few bandages poking out. He let out his hitched breath and relaxed, his body seeming to collapse onto itself and reverted back to it's slouched position from before. Kiba rested his chin once more on his knee, whilst his shirt surrounded him once more like a cloak, covering the exposed skin.

With a voice that didn't bother to hide it's ennui, Kiba drawled,"When are you going to stop acting like you don't want to be here?"

There was no response. Instead, they both shifted their attention to the three stones on top of each other. The events of that day hung over their heads, like a looming vulture.

* * *

><p><em>Kiba and Sasuke watched as the hanging and swaying figure's toes curled tightly before relaxing and remaining still. The world suddenly seemed like a vacuum. There was no sound, no movement and no air. A whizzing sound broke the silence. <em>

_The rope was sliced by the traveling kunai, releasing the hanging body from its grip. Sasuke sprinted, catching the body before it hit the ground. Kiba watched as Sasuke desperately yanked at the rope around the body's neck. Tension solidified the air as it took infinitely long to pull off the rope. The coarse rope finally slithered off, leaving Sasuke to check for vitals signs. His sharingan blazed madly._

_"Wake up! Naruto, wake up!" He shook the body violently, urging a response. "Naruto, PLEASE! Wake up!" _

_The crowd observed the drama with dropped jaws and fish-like eyes. Kiba did the same but had everything in perspective. He noticed from the corner of his eyes one of the anbu vanishing from the Elders side. His mind immediately calculated where the anbu intended to appear. Kiba whipped out a kunai and aimed straight for Sasuke. With the kunai heading straight for Sasukes heart, the anbu appeared with a sharp katana behind the screaming boy. _

_Sasuke wouldn't have been able to dodge the kunai when he looked up... Even if it had been for him. The specialized weapon drifted upward, missing Sasuke by a hairs width, and struck the anbu straight into his eye socket. Immediately afterwards, the world seemed to slow down for Kiba. He saw everything in such detail that it seemed to be slowed down. He noticed the rare shock and terror on Sasukes face form into the death-inducing glare that wasn't intended for Kiba yet it was directed toward him. In a fierce howl, Sasukes voice resonated throughout the forest._

_"NOOOOOOOWW!"_

_On cue, thousands upon thousands of half-faced, white figures emerged from the shadows of the forest. The stampede roared throughout the clearing, the ground shaking and trembling. Shrieks penetrated Kibas ears and the clank of weapons soon begun. The splash of foreign blood colored the ground, painting Kibas face as he made a mad dash toward the lifeless body with a purple ring around its neck._

_Kiba suddenly became aware that Sasukes eyes were shut tight. That meant only one thing. With one enormous burst of energy, Kiba leapt onto the grass, sliding the final meter toward the body. The grit got into his eyes, blinding him and the sharp rocks cut into his body but he cared not. He crawled the last few feet, blindly, before he reached the cold body he searched for. _

_At that moment, Sasukes eyes shot open, unleashing his wrath upon dozens of running people. An ear-splitting roar emerged from Sasukes throat, like a dragon releasing his scourging fire._

_ Kiba remained low, avoiding his horrible gaze. Tears mixed with grit were blinked out of Kibas eyes as he failed to see the body beneath him. He held tightly, unable to release the body. When he was able to see, his reddened eyes stinging, he gazed upon those china-blue eyes, eyelids pulled back so far that the eyes were bulging out. A chocked sound burrowed it's way out of Kibas chest, his face distorting into a mess of vividly distraught emotions. He lifted a trembling hand, hot moisture leaking from his pinched eyes, and pulled down the eyelids over those expressionless blue eyes that he would never see again. Kiba buried his face into the body's chest, feeling how cold the skin on the bodys neck has become._

_As if slowly turning the volume up on a television, the noises of the slaughter were coming back to him. His ears tuned into the shrill screams and crunch of bones that echoed. He dared to lift his head and he watched without thinking. His mind absorbed every detail of it._

_Thousands lie in their own blood while thousands lie in the blood of a strangers. Thousands still ran screaming while thousands ran screaming with their body's engulfed in a black flame... There were so many covered in this black flame. Most of them were roasting in this black flame. Kiba had to get away from this black flame._

_Whilst keeping low to the ground, Kiba hoisted the cold body onto his back. Then he started to crawl. He crawled over the lifeless bodies and severed body parts. His hands and knees were lubricated in the red, metallic, liquid and he slipped a few times. His gradual progress was often interrupted by another limb or head falling in front of him-sometimes cooking in that black flame- but he simply went around it. His blank mind had one goal and that was to escape into the forest. _

_The cries of many didn't deter Kibas will to keep going. Everything else was background noise. With his vision singularly on the tree in front of him, Kiba indefinitely made it. His wobbly legs, his vision twisting and turning in front of him nor the lead-like weight on his back caused him to stop pressing forward. The events behind were soon nothing more than scenery. _

_Kiba walked and walked and walked. He made no stops. He watched the sun shift, turning over until it was on the other half of the sky. Soon he came to a place where he couldn't keep going, or else he would fall off the edge and be smashed by water into rocks below._

_He became face to face with the sun, its red fingers reaching out to burn the sky that followed closely behind. Kibas legs gave out, and his grip loosened on the body. It fell back and Kiba nervously faced the body to see if it was alright. His eyes were perfect circles, his breath coming in two or threes each second until he forgot to breath. Beneath him, the cold lifeless body looked so perfectly serene under the frail tree that cast a gossamer shadow above him. His sandy hair lay around him like a halo and his body seemed so lax that Kiba didn't dare move him. When his lungs gave out, Kiba swallowed heaping amounts of air at the revelation. This was where he belonged. He needed to be here underneath the crooked and shady tree. He would listen to the waves when he got bored and when he needed company he would watch the sun set behind the blue horizon. The moon sat far back, opposite from the sun and behind the tree so he would never be able to see it. It was perfect. Naruto would spend time with someone as bright and inspiring as him. The sun and Naruto would stay together, even when Kiba was long gone. Naruto would have a companion, like he always deserved. This place was perfect. This is where he belonged._

_As though possessed, Kiba rolled Naruto over twice and he scratched and scrapped at the ground where Naruto once lie. The grass and dirt flung out, landing behind Kiba and digging inbetween his nail. He repeated the clawing motion at the ground until the sun faded into oblivion and his fingers were raw and pink and bloody. Even then he pulled up roots and clay until a sizable hiatus was before him. With shaky hands, Kiba lifted Naruto, as gently as one would lift a butterfly, and placed him in the cool dirt. A blue hue set itself on the two and Kiba kept this altered image of a serene Naruto in his mind before deciding that it was time. _

_His sore fingers began to rake the dirt back inside the hole, forever covering up the sleeping angel inside. Kiba patted the ground when all the dirt was there and sat on his bent legs. His arms hung limply to his sides, hands and fingers dripping with newly drawn blood. Kiba didn't even bother to look up when a figure approached him._

_Sasuke sat down next to Kiba, bringing a stench of blood and char. His eyes had streaks of dried blood and he looked at the newly turned grass with eyes so dark, one would think they were donated by the night itself. Kiba didn't bother with speaking to him. Sasuke didn't bother either. It wasn't until Sasuke stood up that Kiba shifted his attention. The boy walked away from from Kiba, into the forest. Kiba stared into the darkness that swallowed Sasuke. When he assumed that Sasuke wasn't coming back he looked at the dirt before him. _

_A rock came into his line of vision. It was placed in front of the tree, directly at the area where the over-turned dirt began. Kiba watched as Sasuke turned around once again and blended into the forest. _

_Another rock was placed on top of the first rock and once more, Sasuke conjured another rock to place at the very top, balancing then with a skill that Kiba would never possess. Sasuke, then, took his rightful seat next to Kiba and there they sat in the cool shade of night, not discussing the events that took place at Konoha._

* * *

><p>Kiba stood up, sighing once more like it were his normal breathing habit. "Where are we going?"<p>

Both men continued to look at the stones.

"We are preparing for the invasion of Sunagakure. Afterwards we have no territory to claim but the small villages." Sasuke spoke in a low rumbling voice, deep and rich with a rasp at the end of each word. An awkward silence prevailed between them. They both waited for the other to speak. Kiba, readily spoke to dispel the tension.

"Glad that this is almost over with. I'm kinda getting tired of the whole invade, conquer, rule thing. Maybe after this we can relax some more." Kiba emitted a husky voice from a lopsided smirk that caused many to cringe.

Sasukes elegant eyebrows furrowed at Kibas words but he gave no response. It was like this every time. Sasuke would show up and clam up whenever they visited Naruto. Sometimes Kiba wished he knew what the Uchiha was thinking. It would be a lot easier to work with him that way.

Kiba glanced over to see Sasuke wearing that navy-blue shirt with the Uchiha fan on it. The long-sleeved shirt hugged him perfectly, showing off his sinewy muscles. Kiba envied him for it. It was not that it was a beautifully crafted shirt, but that Naruto was the one to buy it for him. It wasn't that Kiba didn't have something from Naruto. Kiba had a keepsake of Narutos, and that was the blue crystal necklace that he always wore but it that someone else was able to remember Naruto sentimentally as well. Disregarding the issue as petty jealously, Kiba swaggered away from Sasuke, his blue necklace swaying proudly in the breeze. It was time to prep everyone to invade Sunagakure. They would need a strong defense this time, especially with Gaara as the leader of their military.

"Kiba."

Said man stopped in his tracks but he didn't turn around.

"Do you think Naruto would be proud of what we've done?" There was no emotion evident in Sasukes voice yet it still stirred curiosity in Kiba.

Why did Sasuke suddenly question his actions and why did he bring up Naruto? Sasuke never spoke of Naruto, especially not to Kiba. Quickly regaining his composure, Kiba replied,

"Fuck no."

Kiba didn't bother to turn around to know that once Sasuke got his answer his attention was back to the stones, thinking hard on what Kiba said.

"Then again, we are doing this for him." Sasuke said, almost sounding like he was speaking to himself but Kiba knew better.

Kiba turned around, his eyes locking with Sasukes. Their faces were full with fierce determination. An unspoken bond, almost trust, was convey through their eyes.

"For Naruto." Kiba proclaimed.

Sasuke nodded curtly, agreeing and bringing their conversation to an end whilst dismissing Kiba.

Kiba turned on his heel, walking purposefully. His resolve was now reinforced. They would invade, conquer, and rule until the only leaders were Kiba and Sasuke. They would create a new nation. They would become hokage. They would be law and if anyone dared to oppose, they would answer to that very law. All this was a part of the pact that Kiba and Sasuke made that very night.

* * *

><p><em>"There shouldn't be villages like Konoha." Sasuke muttered. Kiba looked absently at the stones. "Ninjas shouldn't be forced to sacrifice themselves for a village. The villages are greedy. They deserve to be burned. There needs to be a new order."<em>

_Kibas attention was grabbed. "But the new order must have leaders that work from experience. Someone who knows first hand what it's like to go through that." Kira whispered, his voice choppy._

_Sasuke moved his eyes over to Kiba. "I'm sure we can find leaders like that."_

_ Kiba turned his head to see Sasuke holding out his hand, two fingers outstretched. Kiba looked interchangeably at Sasuke and his hand. Kiba made the same gesture and their two fingers interlocked. "I'm sure we can." Kiba locked eyes with Sasuke, and a look of respect was sent from both sides._

_"For Naruto." Sasuke said and to that Kiba nodded._


End file.
